1.2.1.5. Distribution of Inland Waterways in India

The inland waterways refer to using inland water bodies, such as rivers, canals, creeks, backwaters, etc. for transporting goods and people from one place to another. A number of rivers, like Ganga, Brahmaputra Yamuna, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi, etc. were the main arteries of inland waterways in India. At present, the inland waterways in India are about 14,500 km in length, contributing about 1% to the country’s transportation. Out of this about 3,700 km are navigable by mechanised boats.

In order to increase the significance of inland waterways and to improve their efficiency, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was set up in 1986. The following inland waterways have been declared is the National Waterways by the IWAI. There are six identified national waterways in India.

National waterway-1: Allahabad–Haldia stretch of the Ganges–Bhagirathi–Hooghly River of total length 1620 km was declared as National Waterway-1 (NW-1) in the year 1986. The Hooghly river portion of the waterway from Haldia to Nabadwip is tidal. Sea going vessels navigate up to Calcutta (140 km) and the fairway up to Calcutta is maintained by the Calcutta Port Trust. From Calcutta up to Tribeni there are no restrictions for navigation by inland vessels of a loaded draft up to 4m.From Farakka upstream the navigable route is through the main Ganga River. The Feeder Canal and the navigation lock at Farakka become the link between the Bhagirathi and main Ganga upstream Farakka Barrage. The large variation in discharge along with unstable morphological condition of bank and bed, heavy sediment load, continuous braiding and meandering make development of navigational channel a complex task.

National Waterway-2: Sadiya–Dhubri stretch of the Brahmaputra River of total length 891 km was declared as National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in the year 1988. The river Brahmaputra flows down the centre of Assam Valley. It receives a number of tributaries like Subansiri,Jia Bharali, Dihing, Burhi Dihing, Disang, Dhansiri and Kopili.