Inland water transport refers to the transportation of people, goods, and materials via waterways such as rivers, canals, lakes, and other navigable bodies of water that are located within a country’s boundaries.
IWT is the most economical mode of transportation, especially for bulk cargo like coal, iron ore, cement, food grains and fertilizer. Presently, it remains underutilized at a share of 2% in India’s modal mix.
About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is responsible for the development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
- Launched in October 1986, the Noida-headquartered Authorityhas regional offices across different cities.
- It mainly undertakes projects for developing and maintaining the Inland Water Transport (IWT) infrastructure on national waterways through grants from the Shipping Ministry.
Major Inland Waterways by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)
| Inland Waterway 1 | Allahabad-Haldia stretch of Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system |
| Inland Waterway 2 | Sadiya-Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra River (Assam) |
| Inland Waterway 3 | Kottapuram-Kollam stretch of the West Coast Canal, Champakara Canal and Udyogmandal Canal (Kerala) |
| Inland Waterway 4 | Kakinada-Pondicherry along Godavari and Krishna River system |
| Inland Waterway 5 | Talcher – Paradip (Odisha) |
| Inland Waterway 6 | Lakhipur to Bhanga on the River Barak (Assam – Proposed) |
| Indian Waterways → 1 % of total transportLengthwise → 1 > 4 > 2 > 5 > 3 | |
Inland Waterway 1 →
Allahabad-Haldia stretch of Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System
Inland Waterway 2 →
Sadiya – Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra River (Assam)
Inland Waterway 3 →
Kottapuram – Kollam stretch of the West Coast Canal, Champakara Canal and Udyogmandal Canal (Kerala)
Inland Waterway 4 →
Kakinada – Pondicherry along Godavari and Krishna River system
Inland Waterway 5 →
Talcher – Paradip (Odisha)
Advantages
- The cost of building waterways is substantially lower than rail and road.
- It is fuel and energy efficient when compared to other forms of transportation, such as rail and road.
- Savings on costs.
- Transport and transition losses are reduced.
- Fuel consumption per tonne-km is the lowest.
- Friendly to the environment.
- In comparison to rail and road transportation, there is no need for land.
- Trucks emit 50% of carbon dioxide.
- Reduces road and rail congestion.
- 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.
- Reduces traffic congestion and accidents on the road.
- Inland waterway development will develop new job opportunities take place.
- Inland Waterways have enormous possibilities for domestic cargo transportation, cruises, tourism, and passenger travel.
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.
Read Also : Ports In India
