Wednesday, 09 Oct, 2024
IndiaTracker.in
India 21-Dec, 2022

How India’s inland waterways are emerging as the new highways of future

By: Anshul Vipat

How India’s inland waterways are emerging as the new highways of future

One of the largest benefits of the development of a full-fledged inland waterway system is the smooth and cost-efficient movement of cargo, giving a major boost to the economy. Image Source: IANS

Besides promoting passenger traffic on rivers, the development of inland waterway systems would also facilitate trade and cargo services and give a boost to tourism around the areas along its route

India is set to launch the world's longest river cruise between Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Dibrugarh in Assam this January in an effort to promote the inland waterways in the country. The 50-day cruise will set sail from Varanasi on 10 January and cover 4,000 km, passing through Kolkata and Dhaka before reaching Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district of Assam on 1 March. The Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise is expected to be run on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Antara Luxury River Cruises and JM Baxi River Cruises.

The cruise is expected to pass through three National Waterways in India. Under the National Waterways Act of 2016, 111 waterways, including 5 already-existing and 106 new ones, have been designated as National Waterways (NWs) to encourage inland water transportation in the nation. One of the largest benefits of the development of a full-fledged inland waterway system is the smooth and cost-efficient movement of cargo, giving a major boost to the economy.

In an interview, Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of ports, shipping and waterways said that, “development of coastal and river shipping, including cruise services, is one of the priorities of the government and that more such services would be launched to tap the country’s enormous potential in this area. Besides promoting passenger traffic on rivers, the development of inland waterway systems would also facilitate trade and cargo services and give a boost to tourism around the areas along its route.”

The chart below shows the movement of cargo (in metric tons) from April to September 2021 and 2022 through the major national waterways in the country.

Source: Inland Waterways Authority of India

The chart shows there has been a massive increase in the movement of cargo by ships through the National Waterways. Around 40,67,453 metric tons of cargo was transported through National Waterway 1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia-Allahabad) from April-September 2021. The amount of cargo transported through NW 1 increased to 65,02,873 metric tons between April-September 2022, registering an increase of 60 percent. The highest increase in the transportation of cargo was recorded by National Waterway 4 (Krishna-Godavari River System). The amount of cargo transported through NW 4 increased from 22,72,992 metric tons during April-September 2021 to 57,08,515 metric tons during April-September 2022. This was an increase of 151 percent. The second highest growth in the transportation of cargo was registered by National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra River (Dhubri-Sadiya). The cargo movement on NW 4 increased from 1,45,271 metric tons during April-September 2021 to 3,36,504 metric tons from April-September 2022, reporting a growth of 132 percent.

The increase in the movement of cargo shows that transportation of goods through the Inland Water Transport (IWT) is now a preferred choice among the logistics transporters. There’s another reason why waterways has seen a dramatic increase in transportation. Cargo movement by inland waterways is the cheapest form of transportation when compared to other modes like airways, railways or roadways. If we compare, transportation through waterways costs only 1.06 Rs/km, as compared to 2.50 Rs/km by road and 1.36 Rs/km by railways. One litre of fuel moves 24 ton/km on road, 95 ton/km through rail and 215 ton/km through the Inland Water Transport (IWT).

The Sagarmala Project, which intends to promote port-led direct and indirect development, as well as the eastern and western Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are also proposed to be connected to the waterways. The links are being designed in a way that allows goods and cargo to be switched between waterways, DFCs, and road transport. The aim is to link numerous significant infrastructure projects with the inland waterways.

As the above data suggests, transport by inland waterways is cost-effective, environment friendly and cheaper than alternate sources. Till now, India haven’t use its huge network of inland waterways to solve the logistics problem. But in the past few years, the government has realised its true potential and is thus making efforts for the growth of coastal and inland waterways.

Tags
Share:

Latest From This Section

Jal Jeevan Mission achieves new milestone: More than 15 crore rural households are now equipped with tap water connections

Jal Jeevan Mission achieves new milestone: More than 15 crore rural households are now equipped with tap water connections

Govt launches PM E-DRIVE subsidy scheme with an outlay of ₹10,900 cr: Data shows more than 16.7 lakh EVs sold in FY 2023-24

Govt launches PM E-DRIVE subsidy scheme with an outlay of ₹10,900 cr: Data shows more than 16.7 lakh EVs sold in FY 2023-24

India’s defence production hits record ₹1.27 lakh crore with exports to more than 90 countries

India’s defence production hits record ₹1.27 lakh crore with exports to more than 90 countries

India achieves Tier 1 status in Global Cybersecurity Index 2024; Cyber crime data shows more needs to be done

India achieves Tier 1 status in Global Cybersecurity Index 2024; Cyber crime data shows more needs to be done

Ayushman Bharat scheme extends free health cover to all elderlies above 70 years

Ayushman Bharat scheme extends free health cover to all elderlies above 70 years

Coal production in India grows 7.12% year-on-year: Is India’s transition to green energy possible by 2030?

Coal production in India grows 7.12% year-on-year: Is India’s transition to green energy possible by 2030?

Video

Sutanu Guru talks with Yashwant Deshmukh about two stalwart pioneers of the TV Industry in India

Is India a data-deficient country? Veteran journalist Anil Padmanabhan answers it

Sutanu Guru in conversation with PhD scholar Tulip Suman

India Tracker launch: Yashwant Deshmukh in conversation with Sanjay Kumar of CSDS

Audio

"Global Power's Willingness To Stop The War In Question"- International Analyst Prof Asif Rameez Daudi In an Interaction On Iran-Israel War

Israel's Lebanon Ground Operation Signals Escalated Conflict With Hezbollah, Posing Significant Military And Strategic challenges.

India's Rising Chess Prowess: A New Era Of Champions

Haryana Assembly Election 2024 “Congress Sees Resurgence While BJP Might Face Setback”- Dr. Kartikeya Batra from the ground.