National Waterways
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Context:
- Brahmaputra (NW2) gets connected with Ganga (NW1) via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route
About National Waterways:
- India has a vast network of inland waterways that include river bodies, canals, backwaters and creeks.
- However, these inland waterways have been unutilised, as compared to other countries in the world.
- The National Waterways Act proposed 106 additional national waterways to the five national waterways declared earlier.
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is responsible for the timely execution of national waterways projects and to ensure improved water transportation in India.
- Under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 inland waterways (including five national waterways in India declared earlier) have been declared as ‘national waterways’.
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The longest national waterway is the National Waterway 1 or the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system, running from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal and covers a length of 1,620 kilometres. The first national waterways in India or the National Waterway 1 is the Ganga-Bhagirathi – Hooghly River System from Haldia to Allahabad. The Manimutharu River in Tamil Nadu or the National Waterway 69 is the shortest national waterway in India. |
Operational national waterways of India:
Out of the 111 national waterways, there are 13 national waterways that are operational for shipping and navigation. These are:
- National Waterway 1: Ganga-Bhagirathi – Hooghly River System (Haldia – Allahabad)
- National Waterway 2: Brahmaputra River (Dhubri – Sadiya)
- National Waterway 3: West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals
- National Waterway 4: Phase – 1 development of the stretch Muktiyala to Vijayawada of river Krishna
- National Waterway 10: Amba River
- National Waterway 83: Rajpuri Creek
- National Waterway 85: Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System
- National Waterway 91: Shastri river – Jaigad creek system
- National Waterway 68: Mandovi – Usgaon Bridge to the Arabian Sea spanning 41 kilometres
- National Waterway 111: Zuari – Sanvordem Bridge to Marmugao Port spanning 50 kilometres
- National Waterway 73: Narmada river
- National Waterway 100: Tapi river
- National Waterway 97 or Sunderbans Waterways: Namkhana to AtharaBankiKhal in West Bengal
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 Authority has 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.
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