~By Waikhom Rajlakshmi (Former MRC Intern and Student at Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts)
India is a multi-ethnic state and is known popularly for its diversity. In this context, Northeast India can be considered the most diverse part of India, both in terms of ethnicity and physiography. Northeast India (NER) has often been described as “another India, the most diverse part of a diverse India” (Verghese, 2004). Anyone who visits the region quickly realises why. Encompassing Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim, it is a world of breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cultures, and resilient communities. Yet, behind its natural beauty lies a reality of fragility and vulnerability.
Geographically, the region is connected to India only by the narrow stretch called the Siliguri Corridor, which is barely 22 kilometres wide. Surrounded by five countries, i.e., China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, it is as much a frontier as a bridge. With more than 5000 kilometres of international borders, its location makes it highly sensitive to global politics and local instability (Tasung, 2024). Occupying a pivotal place in India’s strategic security framework due to its geostrategic location, Northeast India has been characterised by a discourse of “durable disorder” (Baruah, 2005). This term aptly captures the region’s persistent state of conflict, rooted in a complex web of historical grievances, multi-layered identity formations, and ethnic politics (Ngaihte, 2013; Jamir & Yaden, 2024). This leads to neglecting other factors that might be affecting this dynamic. It is an area abundant with resources; its potential is untapped and often undermined. Water is one of the main resources that support the livelihoods of various communities and also cradles the area’s rich biodiversity. The region’s transboundary water resources have emerged as a fundamental driver and amplifier of these political issues, and the escalating effects of climate change have turned this lifeline into fault lines.
It is clear that conventional approaches to security and unilateral water management in NER are no longer sufficient. This demands a shift towards moving away from the narrow security lens to a more holistic, integrated, and technologically advanced framework. The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework provides a paradigm shift from a narrow, security-driven view of water bodies to a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach.
This paper proposes that an integrated model in which the UDA framework and tools are synchronised with the region's particular groups' deep understanding of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) offers a new pathway to mitigate tensions and transform water from a source of conflict into a catalyst for cooperation and sustainable peace.
A New Paradigm: The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework with TEK
The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework within the Maritime Domain Awareness framework comprises four stakeholders: strategic security, blue economy, sustainability, climate change and digital transformation (Sharma, 2022). Adapting the UDA framework to the Brahmaputra and Barak basins offers tangible solutions to some of the region’s most complex problems:
River Information Systems (RIS):
An integrated RIS is a “combination of modern tracking equipment” that provides information not only on depth, wind speed, etc., but also on other water quality parameters. It would be a transformative tool for predicting and monitoring the riverine basin (Sharma, 2022).
The data collected through this can be combined with flood-forecasting models, thereby providing advanced warnings of floods and changes in river volume. This gives the communities time to prepare for timely evacuation, reallocate livestock and assets, and enable more effective disaster response, saving lives and reducing economic losses.
It can also be used to help a Bodo farmer forecast water flow in the stream that feeds their Dong system, a traditional water management practice (Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, 2002). Thus, providing the community with more information and collective decisions on water allocation can be made easier.
Acoustic Remote Sensing:
The two rivers are dynamic water systems characterised by constantly shifting channels and massive sediment transport, with the Brahmaputra being the main one. Kaware (2022) posits that the development of acoustic remote sensing techniques for sediment classification and sediment-bearing pressure estimation has improved understanding of the seabed and can also be used for “marine biological mapping and ecosystem management”. In this context, TEK can provide invaluable insights into the local understanding of ecosystems and riverbeds (Sumi, 2023). The observations and understandings of Mishing fishermen, passed down through generations, about where and when fish breed or are located during different seasons, can help validate acoustic habitat mapping survey results and produce more accurate outputs.
The historical knowledge of a village elder about which riverbanks have been stable for decades can provide crucial context to a satellite-based erosion analysis.
Thus, providing scope for far better exploration and understanding of marine lifeforms, not exclusive to the security dimension.
Modelling & Simulation (M&S):
Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das (2022) suggests that “spatio-temporal real-time water quality monitoring becomes the most critical start point for any water quality management initiative”.
Dr Das (2023) introduces a method to better understand the underwater domain and to predict events through Modelling and Simulation (M&S) within the UDA framework. This can help predict extreme weather and climate change events, thus minimising risk and loss of life.
He emphasises that integrating science and technology with traditional knowledge would be the main driver of sustainable underwater management. The Underwater Channel Model, under the Acoustic capacity and capability building, which is the main objective of UDA, provides estimates of frequency, water-column depth, bottom profile, etc.
Limitations
Despite the paramount importance the region occupies in the security discourse, the threat posed by the water dimension to the NER is not explored to a considerable extent. There are considerable gaps in data addressing how modern technology can be integrated with traditional knowledge to implement sustainable water management practices. Moreover, studies and data on how UDA models and techniques can be utilised to examine the riverine ecosystems of NER need to be deliberately examined and further explored.
Way Forward
Good policy can be formulated by combining a solid database with local knowledge and understanding; hence, the present knowledge gaps must be bridged, and capital building and research prioritised.
One recommendation is to commission and fund dedicated, multidisciplinary research on the applicability of the UDA framework to riverine systems, with an emphasis on NEI. This will include pilot studies to test and validate technologies on the ground.
Another recommendation is to launch large-scale documentation and digitisation of indigenous ecological practices to create a regional “Traditional Knowledge Digital Library” that preserves this invaluable wisdom and makes it accessible to policymakers and younger generations. Also, invest in training and capacity-building programmes for local youth, government officials, and community leaders on integrated water resource management, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.
Conclusion
The history of Northeast India has long been characterised by the one-word, black-and-white language of strife. This article presents a more dynamic and complex political landscape, moving away from the exclusively security-driven approach.
This analysis has emphasised that the future stability of Northeast India is inextricably linked to the health of its environment, and specifically to its major transboundary rivers. The Brahmaputra and the Barak are not just sources of water; they are the source of life, economy, and culture
Thus, the future calls for a radical shift in paradigm. It calls for breaking free of the passive, security-oriented models of the past and embracing a forward-looking, integrated approach to regional stability. Such a vision must be grounded in the integration of political discourse and economic progress, high-tech innovation and indigenous wisdom, and state security and human security. The initiative to synthesise UDA technology with an understanding of indigenous water management practices is a very real manifestation of this new thinking. By embracing this comprehensive, context-sensitive approach, India can set the stage to re-narrate its discourse on the Northeast, from a tale of a troubled border to a tale of a prosperous, safe, and sustainable gateway to the East.
References
10. Verghese, B. G. (2004). India’s Northeast resurgent: Ethnicity, insurgency, governance, development. Konark Publishers.
Waikhom Rajlakshmi
About Author
Waikhom Rajlakshmi is a Liberal Arts student at the Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts (SSLA), Pune. During her 2025 internship at the Maritime Research Center, she conducted research on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Northeast India. Her work explores integrating TEK into the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework to enhance management of the region’s freshwater systems.