Inland waterways

Introduction

Inland waterways are an extensive network of water bodies. These channels are important for trade and passenger movement. Most countries utilize inland waterways for the quick movement of goods and freight. Countries invest millions to develop these channels. India too has an extensive network of national waterways. However, these waterways are underutilized. Most of our goods and freight movement happens through the rail network.

National Waterways in India

The network of inland waterways is vast. The navigable length extends up to 14500 km. Of which 4000 km of canals can be used by freight ships. National Waterways is a big boost to the economy. 

As per reports, these inland waterways are not used at full capacity. The total cargo movement accounts for just 0.1 percent. In addition to that, the cargo movement is not very organized as a whole. Systematic cargo movement happens through only a few national waterways.

About the IWAI

IWAI stands for Inland Waterways Authority of India. It is an official body that manages the national waterways. Its headquarters is located in Noida. The body is responsible for developing the inland waterways infrastructure.

The IWAI is responsible for ensuring the feasibility of new waterways in India. It also undertakes the construction and improvement of existing national waterways. The IWAI is responsible for designing a standard layout for public transportation and goods movement.

Their developmental projects take into account the morphology of the river, its hydraulics, and aquatic life. It chooses a method that causes the least environmental disturbance. The first national waterway was NW-1. The route was established across the Varanasi-Haldia stretch. This project received investment from the World Bank.IWAI was established on 27 th October 1986 to oversee shipping and navigation. The body is responsible for the maintenance and construction of inland waterways. IWAI has a head office and several regional offices in different Indian cities.

What are recent changes to the National Waterways law?

The Parliament bought certain amendments to the national waterways law. It bought uniformity among the laws and regulations. The inland waterways network of India remained underutilized for a long time. The cargo movement through the  national waterways was a mere 0.1 percent. The amendments aimed at making cargo movement through the national waterways more feasible. They want to build a thriving mode of transportation. All the efforts were focused on building the cargo volume passing through these channels.

The National Waterways law of 2021 replaces the age-old act of 1917. The law mandates the movement of vessels through inland waterways, be bought under central regulation. The earlier law had certain drawbacks. The act granted the power to the state and the guidelines set by states were nonuniform and varied. Under the new scheme, navigation would be seamless and make national waterways a viable option.

The new law expects vessels to adhere to a certain standard in terms of design and construction, to get approved. The vessels are expected to be registered with respective states or union territories. After meeting the requirements their details are updated in a central database.

Importance of New Waterways in India

A well-built national waterways are essential for the logistic growth of a country. Inland waterways remain an already established infrastructure and don’t require much further capital investment.

However, work is constantly being done for improving the national waterways. Waterways often provide the least congestion for cargo movement, unlike roads. New Waterways in India dont require negotiations for land acquisitions and save time.

The utilization of waterways reduces the significant investment for building highways and their maintenance. Waterways are cheap and less prone to damage. Inland Waterways are effective in transporting hazardous goods. The development of national waterways especially in the northeastern region where road transport is risky. Waterways will connect northeastern states to the mainland easily.

Challenges faced by Inland Waterways

Inland Waterways face a lot of challenges. A few of the challenges are listed below

• There are variations in the width and depth of water channels. These constantly change and affect the navigability of cargo carriers.
• A few inland waterways may be seasonal. They dry up once the monsoon season is over
• The development of these water bodies require dredging and other construction, which may be opposed by local communities
• A few places may have discontinuous water flow and may require other modes of navigation to supplement them
• All projects require close coordination among central and state authorities

Conclusion

Waterways are an efficient method for goods transportation. They help in the movement of heavy and bulky goods. In addition to lower operating costs, Waterways don’t require much capital investment and maintenance costs. The Government of India has been constantly trying to make inland waterways a viable option for cargo movement. National waterways reduce the congestion caused by trucks on highways. It also eases connection with mainland and northeastern states where road access is difficult.