Transport Types
- Water Transport
- Air Transport
- Road Transport
- Rail Transport
Water Transport
Inland Water Transport
Inland water transport refers to movement of passenger and fleet through rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and other inland waterbodies.
Under the National Waterways Act 2016, India declare 111 National Waterways across 23 states and 4 Union Territories covering about 20187 kms.
Major National Waterways
- National Waterway 1 (NW-1)
- It is on Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system.
- It runs from Prayagraj (Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal via Varanasi and Patna.
- It passes through four states UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
- It is longest National Waterway.
- National Waterway 2 (NW-2)
- It is on Brahmaputra River
- It runs form Sadiya to the Bangladesh border near Dhubri (Assam).
- National Waterway 3 (NW-3)
- It is also known as West Coastal Canal in Kerala.
- It runs from Kollam to Kottapuram.
- It uses canals, Champakara and Udyogmandal canals.
- National Waterway 4 (NW-4)
- Kakinada to Pondicherry canals + Rivers
- It is in Andhra and Tamil Naidu
- National Waterway 5 (NW-5)
- East Coast Canal + Brahmani-Mahanadi Delta
- Odisha
- National Waterway 16 (NW-16)
- On Barak River
- Assam
- National Waterway 110 (NW-110)
- Yamuna River
- Delhi, Haryana, UP
Importance of Inland Waterways
- Economic
- Low Cost freight
- Particularly suitable for coal, iron ore, cement, food grain, fly ash, etc.
- Low Logistic Burden
- Helps shift freight from congested roads and railways.
- High Carrying Capacity
- One barrage can carry large quantities of bulk cargo.
- Supports multiple logistic by connecting production centres with ports, terminals and markets.
- Low Cost freight
- Energy and Environment
- Water transport is generally more fuel efficient and less emission intensive than road transport.
- Require relatively less land than highway and railway
- Helps in reducing road congestion, accidents and vehicular emission.
- Regional Development
- Connects landlocked / Eastern and North-eastern regions with national and international markets.
- Generates employment in transportation, terminal operations, tourism and allied services.
- Promotes river tourism and cruise tourism.
- Strategic and Geopolitical
- NW-2 / NW-16 + Indo-Bangladesh protocol route improve connectivity in Northeast India.
- Strengthens India's Act East connectivity and regional trade integration.
Recent Developments
- Rapid Growth in Cargo Movement
- In 2013, cargo movement through inland waterways was 18 million tons. In 2024-25 it became 145.84 million tons.
- 20 New National Waterways
- In the Union Budget 2026-27, government has announced plan to operationalize 20 additional national waterways over the next 5 years.
- Jal Vahak Scheme
- It is introduce to encourage cargo owners to shift fleet towards waterways with 35% operating cost incentive on selected routes including NW-1, NW-2 and NW-16.
- Multi Model Infrastructure
- Development of multi-model terminals, inter-model terminals, floating terminals, community jetties and Ro facilities is making waterways part of an integrated logistics network.
- Green Waterways
- India is experimenting with hybrid electric and hydrogen powered vessels, aligning IWT with broader green transition agenda.
- Long Term Targets
- Under Maritime Amrit Kal Vision 2047, India aims to raise IWTs freight model share from around 2% to 5% and achieve 500+ MMT of inland waterway traffic by 2047.