National Waterways of India: Regulatory Authority and Operational National Waterways

In pursuit of enhancing the domestic shipbuilding sector, the Government of India introduced an authority known as the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The statutory body should look after the navigation and shipment of cargo and passengers in India through waterways. 

A couple of years ago, the Ministry of Shipping published the revised ‘Make in India’ guidelines that state that all Indian important ports in the country must obtain or charter Made in India tug boats only. These regulations are because of the Maritime Vision 2030 government. 

According to the National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 waterways in the country are National Waterways (NWs), including the five existing ones. This article will dive into which waterway is operational, what is the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the purpose they serve. 

What are National Waterways?

National Waterways (NWs) are any navigable body of water in a country. National waterways are mainly used for navigation and shipment of cargo or passengers. There are 111 National Waterways; however, only a few of them are operational for the required purposes. 

The Indian National Waterways has a vast chain of inland waterways comprising rivers, creeks, backwaters, and canals. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is liable for the timely delivery of National Waterways Projects and to ensure better water transportation in India. 

The National Waterways Act came into effect in 2016. It proposed 106 additional NWs and added   existing Acts, named the five National Waterways. As a result, IWAI identified 106 new waterways and intimated them to the Ministry of Shipping. 

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory body that regulates Indian National Waterways. The authority was established on 27 October 1986 to develop and govern inland waterways for navigation and shipping.

The Authority primarily undertakes projects for the maintenance and development of IWT infrastructure on National Waterways via grants obtained from the Ministry of Shipping. IWAI is headquartered in Noida. Sanjay Bandopadhyaya is the current chairman of the National Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). 

India has a vast network of inland waterways in the form of creeks, canals, rivers, and backwaters. The total navigable length is computed to be 14,500 Kilometers, out of which mechanised crafts can utilise about 4000 km of canals and 5200 km of rivers. 

Compared to other big countries and geographic areas like the European Union, the United States of America, and China, freight transportation by waterways in India is highly under-utilised. 

The total cargo transported (in tonnes kilometres) via the inland waterways in India was only 0.1% of the total inland traffic, in contrast to 21% of inland waterways cargo transportation in the United States.  

The organised cargo transportation is limited to a few waterways in Assam, Goa, West Bengal, and Kerala. 

Operational National Waterways of India

As per the declaration under the National Waterways Act, 2016, there are 111 National Waterways (NWs) in India. 

However, according to a press release by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on 27 December 2018, only 13 NWs are in operation for maritime, shipping and passenger/cargo vessels.

The active National Waterways of India are as follows: 

National Waterways: Latest Updates

Below are some essential and latest updates on National Waterways India:

Traffic Movement at Major Ports Grew 7% in FY22.

On 1st April 2022, the government reported an impressive growth rate of 6.94% in traffic movement during the fiscal year 2021-22, which is greater than the previous year. 

The IWAI (Inland Waterways Authority of India) transported 105 million tonnes of cargo via National Waterways and recorded a growth of 25.61% YOY (year-on-year). 

Govt. Said that Freight Movement Raised in Ganga by 88% Since 2017

On 22 March 2022, the freight movement on National Waterway-1, which is situated along the river Ganga has surged by 88% since 2017. 

The cumulative freight movement on National Water 1 or the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system stood 4.89 million tonnes. It hit the mark of 9.21 million tonnes in 2020-21, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways reported. 

Indian Government Introduces the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021

On 22 July 2021, Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha, which replaces the Inland Vessels Act, 1917. The act regulates inland vessel navigation by states, including the enrollment of vessels and the carriage of passengers and goods. 

The Bill aims at presenting a uniform regulatory framework for inland vessel navigation across India. Some of the salient attributes of the Bill are as follows:

• Mechanically propelled inland vessels
• Certificate of Survey for operations 
• Navigation safety
• Inquiry into accidents
• Manning requirements and penalty in case requirements are not met
• Prevention of pollution
• Database on inland vessels that will record information such as registration of vessels, crew and manning, and certificates issued. 
• Development funds for various purposes, namely- (i) emergency preparedness, (ii) containment of pollution, and (iii) boosting inland water navigation
• non-mechanically propelled inland vessels

Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP)

Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) is a project built for capacity augmentation of navigation on National Waterway-1 (NW-1). The project is being executed at the cost of ₹ 5369.18 Crores with the technical and financial support of the World Bank. The project is more likely to be completed by March 2023. 

JMVP will facilitate commercial navigation of 1500-2000 ton vessels from Haldia to Varanasi. The project aims to maintain and develop mammoth infrastructures such as inter-modal and multimodal terminals, Roll-on-roll (Ro-Ro) facilities, navigation aids, and ferry services. 

The development of LNG bunkering facilities along the corridor and promotion of environmental-friendly initiatives are also expected. 

National Waterways of India: Full list 

According to the Inland Waterways Authority of India, there is a total of 111 National Waterways. The details of the same have been provided in the table below: 

The entire length of the total National Waterways of India is 20,275.5 Kilometers. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)