This candidate-friendly page includes information about the Inland Waterways Authority of India and a list of India’s operational waterways. In order to ensure smooth and safe sailing on Patna Pandu Water connectivity or NW-1, a fairway with specific depth and width has been built and is being maintained on the waterway. This was accomplished through the implementation of River Conservancy measures such as bandalling, dredging, and so on. While there is day navigational assistance available on the entire stretch of NW-1 from Haldia (Sagar) to Allahabad, it is not sufficient (1620 km).
National Waterways
Transportation is critical for any country’s prosperity, particularly in a developing country like India, where transportation is sparse. The Country’s transportation choices are as varied as its geography. The landscape of the Country is varied. India has almost 14500 kilometres of navigable waterways. This category includes rivers, backwaters, canals, streams, and other waterways.
The National Waterways Act, as it is known, was enacted in 2016. This law proposes new National Waterways and consolidates five existing Acts designated as National Waterways. As a result, the IWAI was able to identify and submit to the Ministry of State 106 additional waterways. The National Waterways Act 2016 (Act No. 17 of 2016) was published in the Indian Gazette on March 26, 2016, and came into effect on the same day.
In 1986, the Indian government established the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to manage inland waterways and improve shipping and navigation.
According to the 2016 National Waterways Act, freight and passenger vessels are now passing via 13 of the 111 authorised National Waterways.
THE GLOBAL WATERWAY Aqueduct Intercontinental Aqueduct Intercontinental (NW-1)
As part of the National Waterway-1 project, the 1620-kilometre stretch of river between Allahabad and Haldia or Sagar was called National Waterway-1 or the NW-1. Since 1985, the IWAI Act has mandated the maintenance and construction of new infrastructure, including navigational aids and terminal facilities, as part of a variety of waterway development projects (82 of 1985). NW-1’s fairway, navigational aids, and terminal facilities were upgraded in 2017-18, and work on them continues.
With the departure of a cargo ship from Patna Pandu water connectivity, Assam’s logistics open a new chapter.
IWAI launched its first cargo vessel on Saturday, transporting 200 tonnes of food grains from Patna to Pandu in Guwahati or gateway to north east via the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers into Bangladesh. Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, attended the occasion. The ship was carrying 200 metric tonnes of grain on board. The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Piyush Goyal, video-conference this year’s celebration in Patna from New Delhi.
Before the ferry reaches Guwahati or gateway to the north east, on the Brahmaputra’s (national waterways 2) bank, which is connected to Bangladesh via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol, national waterways 1 and 2 of the Ganga will be crossed (IBP).
The MV Lal Bahadur Shastri will arrive in Pandu after travelling 2,350 kilometres across the Indian Ocean in 25 days.
The ship’s initial cruise will determine Patna Pandu water connectivity and the viability of an inland water transportation route connecting the Country’s northern and eastern areas.
According to Sonowal, during the ceremony, Bangladesh’s two major rivers will be connected via the IBP route, which runs through places such as Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, and Chilmari, among others. The newly connected Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers will help traders from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Bangladesh, he stated in Patna.
Along with sailing through Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and West Bengal, the ferry would also make stops in Assam at Dhubri and Jogighopa. IWAI hopes to eventually offer regular service along these routes.
The intermodal terminal in Saran’s Kalughat will cost Rs 78.28 crore and will be completed by the end of next year. It will be inaugurated by the port and transport minister. The intermodal terminal, which would cost Rs 78.28 crore, is slated to be finished by the end of next year. New Delhi’s first-of-its-kind terminal will be built on a 13.17-acre tract of land adjacent to the Ganga River and will be immediately connected to NH 19.
According to Union Minister of State for Forest Environment Ashwini Choubey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Act East” campaign, which translates as “advance east,” was inaugurated with the opening of the inland waterways. The Food Corporation of India has given grain to Guwahati (FCI). Others, he says, will follow Choubey’s lead and choose the most convenient and cost-effective mode of transit in the following days.
Conclusion
The Kalighat terminal extension will help alleviate congestion on northern Bihar’s congested highways by improving low-emission inland water transport. Additionally, this project will provide an alternate route for freight traffic through the area. The building of the terminal Patna Pandu water connectivity will benefit the local economy. It will generate a significant number of employees in this region by boosting industries, improving access to local markets, linking the hinterland, and making other efforts.