Means of Water and Air Transport

INTRODUCTION

What is Transportation?

Transportation means the movement of goods and persons from place to place and the various means by which such movement is accomplished. Transportation is an important feature in the movement of goods and has a vital role in geography. Transportation can be done in many ways such as through vehicles, infrastructures (supporting movements) and also with the help of Land (road, rail, and pipelines), Water (through ships majorly), and Air. Each mode has a set of technical, operational, and commercial characteristics. 

WATER TRANSPORTATION

Water Transportation in India has assumed a huge part in the country’s general economy and is imperative to unfamiliar exchange. India is enriched with a broad organisation of streams as waterways as the stream, backwaters, rivulets, and longshore open through the oceans and seas. Water transport is done significantly through ships and inland streams like submarines, freight travels, and so on. Travels are viewed as the most solid and simple method of water transport. Streams are by a wide margin one of the most seasoned and least expensive methods for maritime vehicles. This is viewed as the least expensive because it is pocket-accommodating and causes no contamination in the climate.

Advantages of Water Transportation 

1. Fuel efficient and environment friendly
2. Cheap
3. Suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods
4. Less Maintenance cost 
5. Useful for natural calamities
6. Useful in defence purposes
7. Plays an important role in import-export and for foreign trade

Disadvantages of Water Transportation

1. Riskier as there is a fear of ships getting sunk in water 
2. Time Taking 
3. Slow speed hence a tedious process 

Inland And National Waterways 

Rivers, canals, and creeks make up an extensive network of inland waterways in the Indian subcontinent. At present, with an inland waterways’ length of 14500 kms (5200 kms of rivers and 4000 kms of canals), these are used to move cargo using mechanised vessels and boats. Inland waterways consist of the Ganges-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waterways in Mumbai, and the deltaic regions of the Godavari-Krishna rivers. It has many national-level waterways like The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia and the Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri.

 Oceanic Waterways 

India has coastal waterways of around 7517 kms. With the largest merchant shipping fleet among developing countries and 19th worldwide, India has seen reduction in coastal shipping operations for the last 50 years. The shipping policy committee has recommended that Indian ships secure 100% of the country’s coastal trade. India is quite suitable for oceanic waterways because of comparatively lesser traffic. Due to India being 3 sides surrounded by oceans, oceanic routes are feasible and oceanic waterways are a cheaper mode of transport for passengers and cargo.

Domains of oceanic waterways 

1. Geographical by its physical attributes:
2. 71% of the terrestrial surface.
3. Strategic by its control.
4. Commercial by its usage

AIR TRANSPORTATION

The transport of goods and commodities from one place to another through the medium of air such as aeroplanes, and helicopters is known as Air Transportation. Air transportation, which represents the next alternative best solution in the transportation sector, includes passenger and freight aeroplanes, that is, aircraft configured for transporting passengers, freight, or mail. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2017, airlines carried 4.1 billion passengers globally. This value increased by 7.3% over 2016, which represented an extra 280 million trips by air between 2016 and 2017. In addition, as with many of the energy and transport-related statistics in recent times, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region carried the largest number of passengers. According to ICAO’s preliminary compilation of annual global statistics, the total number of passengers carried on scheduled services rose to 4.5 billion in 2019, which is 3.6 percent higher than the previous year, while the number of departures reached 38.3 million in 2019, a 1.7 percent increase.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released full-year worldwide passenger traffic data for 2019, showing a 4.2 percent increase in demand (revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) over the same period in 2018.

The result in 2019 represents a drop from the 7.3 percent annual increase in 2018, and it is the first year since the global financial crisis in 2009 that passenger demand has been below the long-term trend of roughly 5.5 percent annual growth. Full-year 2019 capacity increased by 3.4 percent, while the load factor increased by 0.7 percentage point to 82.6 percent, a new high. In 2018, the previous high was 81.9 percent. Therefore, the industry tends to save more fuel both from the aircraft and airline infrastructure. This practice acts as an incentive for the air transport industry.

Characteristics of Air Transportation 

Air transport has the following characteristics:

1. Unbroken Journey: Air transport provides an unbreakable journey over land and sea. It is the fastest and quickest means of transport.
2. Rapid 
3. Expensive 

Advantages 

1. Fastest and Speedy
2. Comfortable and quick service 
3. No Big Investments like building tracks as in the case of Rail Transportation
4. No Physical barriers 
5. Easy access
6. Used in Defence 
7. Essential and most suitable for carrying light goods of heavy value 
8. Emergency Services  

 Disadvantages 

1. Limited Space capacity to carry goods 
2. Very costly 
3. Risky and non-reliable 
4. Fear of Breakdown and Accident 
5. Accidents 
6. Huge Investments
7. Unsuitable for bulky goods because space is limited 

As indicated by a 2012 World Bank report, energy effectiveness noticeable all around the transport area has come from innovation upgrades in airframe and motor plan, aviation authority, and air terminal activity. This has brought about the current load of aeroplanes being 80% more eco-friendly than their 1960s partners. As per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, fuel decreases since the 1970s have likewise been extraordinarily supported by the turn of events and the organization of programmed flight the board frameworks. As proven by the upgrades that have been accomplished in air transport as for lessening fuel utilization, further enhancements will be comparative in extension to further developing vehicle proficiency, zeroing in on innovation (e.g., aeroplane plans, lightweight materials, new motor advances), activities, and foundation.

CONCLUSION

Water and Air Transportation are the most suitable modes of transportation for the carriage and transfer of heavy goods. These modes of transport are one of the most fuel-efficient and cost-efficient modes of transportation available in the world. India has an abundance of resources to furnish facilities for air and water transport. These modes of transport contribute to the growth and development of the social and economic aspects of the nation significantly. However, they vary in speed. Water Transportation is slowest of all but can carry the heaviest of the goods, whereas Air transport is significantly quick and time-efficient but may not be as inexpensive as waterways. However, both of these modes of transportation are high in maintenance and their cost of construction is also not very economical.