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Context: The 205-km-long Kollam-Kottappuram National Waterway III, which was inaugurated in 2007 has failed to attract attention 14 years after its inauguration.

About National Waterway III:

• The West Coast Canal or National Waterway No 3 is a 205-km stretch of this inland navigational route located in Kerala, India and runs from Kollam to Kottapuram and was declared a National Waterway in 1993.
• NW 3 is the first National Waterway in the country with 24-hour navigation facilities along the entire stretch.
• It has been extended to Kozhikode as per National Waterways Act, 2016.

Other National Waterways of India:

• In 2016, the government notified 111 inland waterways as National Waterways of India under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
• Of these, 13 National Waterways are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them.
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India under the Ministry of Shipping is developing the National Waterways for commercial navigation, including with assistance from the World Bank.
• Inland waterways mode of transport has been recognised as environmentally friendly and economical, especially for cargo that do not depend on speed of delivery.

Problems of Inland Water Transport:

• There is a seasonal fall in water level in rivers especially in the Rain-fed Rivers of the peninsula which become nearly dry during summer.
• Reduced flow due to diversion of water for irrigation, for instance, in the Ganga which makes it difficult even for steamers to ply.
• There is reduced navigability due to siltation, as in the Bhagirathi-Hooghly and in the Buckingham Canal.
• There are problems in smooth navigation because of waterfalls and cataracts, as in Narmada and Tapti.
• Salinity, especially in the coastal stretches, affects navigation.

Measures taken by government to boost this sector:

• The Inland Water Transport Policy, 2001, prepared by the Ministry of Shipping supported and encouraged private participation.
• Apart from streamlining the regulatory framework, the government has provided viability gap funding, and has enabled the IWAI to enter into joint ventures adopting the build, operate and transfer model offering up to 40% equity for terminals and inland waterways.
• The sector can also receive 100% foreign direct investment through the automatic route.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/waterway-cries-for-attention-14-years-after-its-inauguration/article38051747.ece

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