Inland Waterways Transport
Description
Inland Waterways Transport
Description: Explore India's vast inland waterways network, spanning rivers, canals, and backwaters, offering nearly 14,500 km of navigable routes. Learn about the Inland Waterways Authority of India's initiatives, including the recent launch of the River Information System, revolutionizing inland navigation akin to an ATC system, while considering regulatory challenges and opportunities for sustainable development.
Inland waterways use navigable stretches of rivers for transportation. Inland waterways offer a cost effective, fuel efficient and environment friendly means of transportation.
Inland Waterways in India
• India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. It has huge potential for river water navigation with nearly 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways. In addition, 116 rivers across the country provide 35,000 km of navigable stretches.
• Constitutionally under entry 24 of the Union List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the Union government can make laws on shipping and navigation on inland waterways that are classified as national waterways.
• Inland Waterways Authority of India was established in 1986, to ensure proper development of the sector.
• Recently IWA launched River information system. RIS is a combination of tracking and meteorological equipment with specialized software designed to optimize traffic and transport processes in inland navigation. River Information System which will be like ATC (Air Traffic Control) system for airways.
• The National Waterways Act, 2016 has declared 111 inland waterways as ‘National Waterways’ (NWs) in the country to promote shipping and navigation on them. The total length of NWs is 20,275 km spread across 24 States in the country.
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), is an autonomous organization constituted on 27th October, 1986 under the Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985. IWAI is primarily responsible for development, maintenance and regulation of those waterways which have been declared as NWs under National Waterways Act, 2016.
Advantages offered by IWT
• Geographical advantage of water bridging. Examples of these are passenger ferry services across rivers and transport in the Sundarbans areas in India and Bangladesh, Transport of iron ore, oil products from refineries in the North East.
• Transport of agriculture products and their reduced susceptibility to perishing.
• Reduced cost of land acquisition in highly dense geographical regions like eastern India.
• Opportunities for fisheries and tourism in the developed stretch.
• It will lead to balanced regional development as hinterland areas suffering from poor transport infrastructure will gain.
Concerns raised against the bill
• Environment and occupational challenges as it can have serious damage to river ecosystem as dams will be constructed which will obstruct the natural flow of river.
• Livelihood of those related to fisheries, agriculture will etc will be effected. As IWT requires maintenance of assured flow, the right of agriculture community in irrigation water may be compromised.
• Infringement upon state government rights on rivers and water bodies. The state governments are not realizing how it going to impact them and would be suicidal for them at the time when extreme climate change is being witnessed through drought, floods, river-erosion and declining agriculture and fisheries,”
• Access of cargo facilities at both sides, availability of vessels and associated infrastructure is needed which is poor at present.
Regulatory mechanisms is needed to ensure proper development of the sector. Many of infrastructure sectors in India are handicapped by regulatory weaknesses. The inland waterway projects will be developed through public private partnership and infusion of foreign direct investment (FDI). Such investments will not come unless basic building blocks are in place.
In spite of the challenges and inertia the IWT offers huge opportunities. With more focus on environment friendly ways of development funds from National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) and Central Road Fund (CRF) can also be used. India should vigorously push for investment in the sector as it provides solution to the problems of balanced regional development and sustainable development.
