The Inland Waterways Authority of India, operating under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), organised the first-ever meeting of the 'Inland Waterways Development Council' in Kolkata.

Background

• Inland Waterways Development Council established in October 2023 to comprehensively developing inland waterways and the associated Inland Water Transport (IWT) ecosystem. 
• The initiative aims to enhance cargo efficiency, streamline passenger movement, and boost river cruise tourism, with active collaboration from states and Union territories.

Major Highlights of the Meet

• "Harit Nauka – Guidelines for Green Transition of Inland Vessels" and the "River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047" was unveiled for promotion of waterways in India.
• Additionally, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), marking collaborative efforts towards advancing the inland waterways and associated sectors was signed.

Objective

• To elevate the modal share of Inland Water Transportation (IWT) from the current 2% to 5%, aligning with the goals outlined in the Maritime India Vision 2030. 
• As part of the ambitious Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, the ministry aspires to significantly increase the existing IWT cargo volume from approximately 120 MTPA to over 500 MTPA, signifying substantial progress in the development of inland waterways.

Inland Waterways

• An inland waterway is a navigable channel used to transport goods, materials, or other movable objects. Inland waterways consist of rivers, lakes, canals and backwaters. Rivers and lakes are natural waterways, whereas canals and backwaters are artificial.
• India has over 14500 km of waters that can be navigated which accounts only for about 1% of the country’s transportation.

National Waterways Act 2016

• It proposed 106 additional National Waterways and merges 5 existing Acts which were declared the 5 National Waterways. As a result, 106 new waterways were identified by IWAI and intimated to Ministry of Shipping.

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

• Established in 1986 IWAI was created for regulating and developing inland waterways for shipping and navigation. It is headquartered is in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Major National Waterways in India