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The government is now planning to revive old waterways to build a robust inland and maritime transportation network
A cruise that connects Hazira port in Surat and Diu island; (Photo: ANI)
During pre-Independence times, major navigable rivers were an important means of transportation in northern and eastern India. But trade was largely confined to the Gangetic waterways. With the advent of the railways, the focus on waterways saw a steady decline. Though transportation through rivers is cheaper, India’s freight
movement in this mode is less than 1 per cent, compared to China at 24 per cent and the US at 9 per cent. Currently, there are 111 National Waterways in the country—106 were notified in 2016 as National Waterways, adding to the list of existing five.
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In 2015, the government launched the ambitious Sagarmala project to capitalise on India’s coastline and build infrastructure to connect different ports in the country. Sagarmala’s investment target is at $123 billion—a maritime equivalent of the Golden Quadrilateral project for highways—under which 415 projects will be developed. It was in 2016 that the government passed the National Waterways Act and launched the National Inland Waterways Programme, declaring 111 rivers or river stretches as National (inland) Waterways. Until 2016, there were only five National Waterways—Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system; Brahmaputra; West Coast Canal along with Udyogmandal and Champakara canals; Kakinada-Puducherry canals along with Godavari and Krishna rivers and East Coast Canal integrated with the Brahmani river and the Mahanadi delta rivers.
Left: Ferries on the Hooghly river in Calcutta, 1940s
The asct was intended to increase India’s National Waterways from nearly 4,400 km to over 18,000 km. However, there are challenges that include building the waterways sustainably as the coastline is fragile and generating resources for the projects. Only three ports have been monetised so far, of the 13 identified. Overall, there has been an under-investment in inland waterways, compared to roads and railways. Inland waterways have also been neglected in successive five-year plans. It’s imperative to bring the private sector to invest in this sector.
In 2021, the Inland Vessels Bill replaced the century-old Inland Vessels Act. There are 13 National Waterways that are operational currently, which carry 55 million tonnes of cargo every year.
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