India’s inland waterways surged from 18.1M tonnes in 2013-14 to 133.03M tonnes in 2023-24. Infrastructure and policy steps drive success.
India’s inland waterways have seen exponential growth, with cargo movement increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.1% over the last decade, rising from 18.10 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 133.03 million tonnes in 2023-24. The number of operational National Waterways has expanded from 5 in 2014 to 26 in 2024.
Infrastructure Development
The government has undertaken significant initiatives to enhance waterway connectivity:
- NW-1 (Ganga): 49 community jetties, 20 floating terminals, 3 multimodal terminals (MMTs), and 1 intermodal terminal.
- NW-2 (Brahmaputra): 12 floating terminals, 2 MMTs, and 4 dedicated jetties at key locations, with cruise and passenger facilities.
- NW-3 (West Coast Canal, Kerala): 9 permanent IWT terminals and 2 Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax terminals.
- Other waterways include developments in Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and others with floating jetties and cargo facilities.
- Maintenance of navigational channels is ongoing, ensuring vessel operations with specified least available depths.
Policy Measures
- Cargo Promotion Scheme: Offers 35% incentives for cargo movement, aiming to divert 800 million tonne-km cargo to inland waterways.
- PSU Engagement: Ministries and PSUs are encouraged to shift cargo to waterways to achieve modal integration.
- Integration with Ports: Projects connect waterways with ports like Kolkata for seamless multimodal logistics.
- Cargo Aggregation: Initiatives like freight villages and logistics parks are underway to address multimodal challenges.
Promoting River Tourism
34 waterways have been identified for cruise operations, with 10 already active. Steps like shore power provision and extra berthing arrangements are enhancing river cruise tourism, supporting the operationalisation of new cruise circuits.
Global Connectivity
The Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route has been expanded, with recent successful trials on Routes 5 and 6 between Maia and Sultanganj.
These transformative efforts were highlighted by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, showcasing the government’s commitment to revolutionising inland waterways as a sustainable and efficient logistics solution.