National Waterways in India

Transportation is solely and popularly done in three ways- via road, via waterways, and air. The waterways in the country are the most appropriate and suitable mode for transporting bulky and huge goods over long distances. 

Waterway transportation in India plays a vital role in the total growth and development of the country’s economy and foreign trade. In India, the waterways are extensively connected and are wide. It is in the form of canals, rivers, creeks, backwaters, coastlines- which are accessible via the oceans and seas in and around the country. In India, the cheapest and most affordable mode of transportation is the Waterway network of transportation. This is because it involves lesser  capital investment in maintenance and further construction. These modes of transportation use natural sources as a way of transporting goods around the world. 

We will look at the National Waterways in India, in addition to the board that maintains these waterways in the country. 

National Waterways

The navigable waterways in India are approximately 14500 km. Water transport in India has received critical attention in the recent past. This is because it has a long cost. The approximate cost of waterway transport in India is 50 paise per kilometer- which is very less compared to other modes of transportation. Since 1947, the country has made significant growth and development in shipping and transporting. India, concerning shipping, is the second-largest and sixth largest in Asia and World, respectively. 

To answer the question of how many national waterways in India are the busiest, we can say that India has 11 major ports. Among these, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai has developed to be the major port in India. It is one of the most developed and mechanized ports in India. It is the biggest and largest port in India that handles a large number of trading businesses and ships. In addition, the largest inland port in India is Kolkata. The national waterways in India consist of the sea routes and Inland Waterways- for trading and shipping of cargo and transportation of people. The sea routes of the National waterways in India are commonly used for trading in India. 

Inland Waterways

Inland Waterways include the inland ports and rivers, lakes, canals, creeks, and others. In the year 1989, the Inland Waterways Authority of India was developed and created by the Indian Government. This body regulates and develops the waterways for navigation and shipping in the country. It has the responsibility of maintenance and development projects and schemes of the infrastructure of the inland water transport on National waterways in India. This body headquarters is in Noida, with regional offices in several towns and cities in India. 

The question of how many national waterways are there in India can be answered by looking at the total number of inland waterways in India. There are 111 inland National Waterways in India that have been identified for Inland water transport. A majority of National Waterways in India were created only in 106. It covers approximately 20,275 km in India. 

List of National Waterways in India

Among the total 111 inland National Waterways in India, 13 ports were designated as operational in India. These 13 National waterways in India have the responsibility of navigating and shipping cargo and passenger vessels around the world. Some of these waterways are-

• NW 1: Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River system covering 1620 km- length-wise. The states related to this are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. It is the longest national waterway in the country. 
• NW 2: Brahmaputra River system covering 891 km in length. The state related to this National Waterway in India is Assam.
• NW 4: Krishna and Godavari River system covering 1095 km- length-wise. The states related to this include Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Andhra Pradesh.
• NW 100: Tapi River System covering 436 km in length. The states related to this are Gujarat and Maharashtra. 

Conclusion

Transportation is solely and popularly done in three ways- via road, via waterways, and air. Keeping the diverse nature of the topography and demography of India, the waterways in the country are the most appropriate and suitable mode for transporting bulky and huge goods over long distances. In India, the cheapest and most affordable mode of transportation is the Waterway network of transportation. The approximate cost is 50 paise per kilometer. Waterway transportation in India plays a vital role in the total growth and development of the country’s economy and foreign trade. The national waterways in India consist of sea routes and Inland Waterways. There are 111 inland National Waterways in India that have been identified for Inland water transport. Out of about more than 200 ports 13 ports were designated as major ports in India.