Recently a bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha to provide consistency in the implementation of the law governing inland waterways and national navigation. Which are the major national waterways of India? What are their benefits over other types of transportation? Read the article to learn more about the waterways of India.
Transportation is critical to our country’s development, has a significant impact on a developing country, and is a significant source of employment. With its vast land area and diverse topography, India boasts of its ability to support numerous modes of transportation.
What are the steps to boost the effectiveness of waterways?
Waterways are the most cost-effective mode of transportation for carrying big and heavy cargo as well as passenger services. It is not only fuel-efficient but also incredibly eco-friendly.
There are two kinds of water transportation:
- Oceanic Waterways
- Inland Waterway
Let us explore more of them.
Oceanic Waterways
The inland waterways authority has identified ten additional inland waterways. Kerala’s backwaters have a special significance as a mode of transportation as well as a popular tourist attraction. The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is also held here.
India’s coastline is over 7,517 kilometres long, making huge vessels easier to convey. The country has 12 main and 185 small ports that provide vessels with the necessary infrastructure.
The Oceanic routes also support 95% of India’s foreign trade by volume and more than 70% by value, which goes from India to other countries. They also provide access to the islands.
Inland Waterways
India boasts an extensive network of inland waterways comprising rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks. Of the total navigable length of 20,236 km, 17,980 km consists of rivers and 2,256 km is made up of canals, both suitable for mechanised craft.
Although 3700 km of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels, only 2000 km are currently utilised. Mechanised vessels utilise only 900 km of the canal’s 4800 km navigable length. These canals move around 180 lakh tonnes of goods.
The National Waterways Act aids in the management of the country’s waterways. It became effective in the year 2016. In addition to the pre-existing one, the act suggested 106 national waterways and consolidated 5 existing statutes that had designated the 5 national waterways.
Out of the 111 national waterways proclaimed by the National Waterways Act, 13 are active for shipping and navigation and are used by cargo or passenger vessels. The government of India established the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) by the National Waterways Act to regulate and develop the inland waterways used for navigation and shipping.
However, freight transportation via waterways remains significantly under-utilised compared to countries like the United States, China, and those in the European Union. With focused development, India’s national waterways are poised to become the nation’s lifeline, facilitating efficient transportation.
Read: Major River Systems in India
Advantages
- Savings on costs.
- It is fuel and energy efficient when compared to other forms of transportation, such as rail and road.
- The cost of building waterways is substantially lower than rail and road.
- Transport and transition losses are reduced.
- Friendly to the environment.
- Fuel consumption per tonne-km is the lowest.
- Trucks emit 50% of carbon dioxide.
- In comparison to rail and road transportation, there is no need for land.
- Reduces road and rail congestion.
- Reduces traffic congestion and accidents on the road.
- Combining river transportation with other modes will produce an optimal modal mix.
- It contributes to the creation of seamless interconnectivity by connecting hinterlands along navigable river coasts and coastal roads.
- Inland Waterways have enormous possibilities for domestic cargo transportation, cruises, tourism, and passenger travel.
- Inland waterway development will develop new job opportunities take place.
Disadvantages
- As they have slow transport speeds, they are unsuitable for situations where time is of the essence.
- It has a limited operating area due to infrastructural constraints and the depth of the waterways.
- They do not provide door-to-door cargo transportation.
- Disruptions in operations.
- Weather is a significant disadvantage.
National Waterways in India
| Sl. No. | National Waterway | Details of Waterways | States | Status |
| 1 | National Waterway 1 | Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia – Allahabad) | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal | Development taken up with Assistance from World Bank Jal Marg Vikas Project |
| 2 | National Waterway 2 | Brahmaputra River (Dhubri – Sadiya) | Assam | Development taken up as per approved SFC for FY 20-21 to 2024-25 |
| 3 | National Waterway 16 | Barak River | Assam | |
| 4 | National Waterway 3 | West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals | Kerala | Mostly Operational Waterways and development and maintenance work taken up.
|
| 5 | National Waterway 4 | Krishna River (Vijayawada – Muktyala) | Andhra Pradesh | |
| 6 | National Waterway 5 | Dhamra-Paradio via Mangalagadi to Pankopal | Odisha | |
| 7 | National Waterway 8 | Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal | Kerala | |
| 8 | National Waterway 9 | Alappuzha-Kottayam – Athirampuzha Canal | Kerala Alternate route: 11.5km |
|
| 9 | National Waterway 27 | Cumberjua River | Goa | |
| 10 | National Waterway 68 | Mandovi River | Goa | |
| 11 | National Waterway 86 | Rupnarayan River | West Bengal | |
| 12 | National Waterway 97 | Sunderbans Waterway | West Bengal | |
| 13 | National Waterway 111 | Zuari River | Goa | |
| 14 | National Waterway 10 | Amba River | Maharashtra | Projects at appraisal stage. |
| 15 | National Waterway 40 | Ghagra River | Bihar | |
| 16 | National Waterway 44 | Ichamati River | West Bengal | |
| 17 | National Waterway 52 | Kali River | Karnataka | |
| 18 | National Waterway 57 | Kopili River | Assam | |
| 19 | National Waterway 25 | Chapora River | Goa | |
| 20 | National Waterway 37 | Gandak River | Bihar | |
| 21 | National Waterway 28 | Dabhol Creek Vasisti River | Maharashtra | Substantial cargo moves in tidal waters/river mouth under respective State maritime board. No interventions are contemplated by IWAI as of now. |
| 22 | National Waterway 73 | Narmada River | Maharashtra & Gujarat | |
| 23 | National Waterway 85 | Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System | Maharashtra | |
| 24 | National Waterway 94 | Sone River | Bihar | |
| 25 | National Waterway 100 | Tapi River | Maharashtra & Gujarat |
Government Initiatives
The Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985
The Act establishes an Authority for the management and development of inland waterways for the purposes of shipping and navigation, as well as things relating to it. The Inland Waterways Authority of India was established in 1986. Through a grant from the Ministry of Shipping, it implements initiatives for developing and maintaining IWT infrastructure on national waterways.
The Indian Vessels Act of 1917 (as revised in 2007)
It is concerned with the survey and registration of inland vessels, the elimination of barriers in navigation, the carriage of goods and passengers, the prevention and management of pollution, and so on.
Inland Water Transport Policy 2001
The policy states that IWT is a cost-effective, fuel-efficient, and environmentally benign means of transportation. It encourages large-scale private sector participation in infrastructure development and fleet operations.
Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP)
It aims at capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway-1 (NW-1), along the river Ganga. It is being implemented at a cost of Rs 5369.18 crore with the technical assistance and investment support of the World Bank. The Project is expected to be completed by March 2023.
Project Arth Ganga
With the local community’s help and an emphasis on economic activities in and along the Ganga River, Project Arth Ganga aims to re-engineer the JMVP. As part of the “Project Arth Ganga” to revitalise economic activity in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, small jetties along the Ganga will be constructed to enhance local economic activities.
The National Waterways Act of 2016
The National (inland) Waterways Act designated 111 rivers or river sections, creeks, and estuaries as National (inland) Waterways. It permits the Central Government to regulate the growth of these waterways in terms of shipping, navigation, and transport via mechanically propelled vessels.
Inland Vessels Bill 2021
The bill proposes to replace the Inland Vessels Act of 1917. It establishes a national regulatory framework for inland vessel transportation. It aims to increase openness and accountability in inland water transportation administration, as well as to tighten procedures governing inland vessels’ construction, survey, registration, manning, and navigation.
Sagarmala Project
In addition to developing coast trade routes, the Sagarmala project aims to expand inland waterways to drive industrial development. It intends to save logistical costs by tripling the number of domestic waterways in the modal mix from the existing 6%. (PIB)
River Interlinking Program
Through navigation, the initiative is projected to provide potential benefits to the transportation sector.
In news
2024: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), unveiled a major policy for Cargo Promotion – ‘Jalvahak’ – incentivising the movement of long haul cargo via National Waterways 1 (river Ganga) as well as for National Waterways 2 (river Brahmaputra) and National Waterways 16 (river Barak).
- It aims to unlock the trade potential of inland waterways, reduce logistics costs, and alleviate congestion in road and rail networks.
- It incentivises long-haul cargo movement on National Waterways (NW) 1 (Ganga), 2 (Brahmaputra), and 16 (Barak).
- This will also generate confidence among users about the readiness of national waterways for regular movement of cargo in an efficient, economical and environmentally responsible mode of transportation.
- Empowering the vessel operators with this incentive scheme and encouraging the business enterprises with safe and timely delivery of cargo in a cost-effective manner, adds meaningfully to the vision of transformation via transportation as India sails towards becoming a Viksit Bharat.
- The cargo promotion scheme provides a direct incentive to the cargo owners to transport their goods via inland waterways for a distance of more than 300 km.
- This is a joint effort by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the nodal agency of waterways development in the country, as well as by the Inland & Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL), a fully owned subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCIL).
The ‘Jalvahak’ scheme encourages to reduction of logistics costs, decongesting roads and railways, and adapting to a sustainable mode of transportation.
- The ‘Jalvahak’ scheme offers reimbursement of up to 35% of the total operating expenditure incurred while transporting cargo via waterways on NW 1 (Ganga River), NW 2 (Brahmaputra River) & NW 16 (Barak River) via Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route.
- To encourage the business proposition of vessel operators, the scheme encourages cargo owners to hire vessels owned or operated by organisations other than IWAI or ICSL.
- The incentive scheme is ideal for major shipping companies, freight forwarders, trade bodies and associations that handle bulk and containerised cargo.
- By opting for the scheme, it provides them an opportunity to optimise their supply chain network. The scheme is initially valid for 3 years.
Conclusion
Strengthening public-private partnerships has a key role to play in developing the inland waterways sector. Private players can undertake terminal development, cargo and passenger handling, and building low-draft vessels and related repair facilities.
Measures should be taken to develop basic infrastructure, address technological bottlenecks and maintenance of rivers to ensure year-round navigability
Measures should be taken to ensure the availability of seamless, multimodal last-mile connectivity to and from the hinterland to reduce trans-shipment costs and make inland water transport economically more viable.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is India’s inland waterways capacity?
Ans: Of the total navigable length of 20,236 km, 17,980 km consists of rivers and 2,256 km is made up of canals, both suitable for mechanised craft.
Q. How many national Waterways are there in India?
Ans: Government of India has declared 111 waterways as National Waterways through the National Waterways Act, of 2016.
Article Written By: Atheena Fathima Riyas
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