Nine permanent inland water transport terminals with godowns and two Ro-Ro/Ro-passenger terminals were constructed on national waterway (NW)-3, said Union minister for ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in the Lok Sabha on Friday. NW-3, NW-8 and NW-9 were sanctioned over the last three years, he added.
In his reply to a written query, Sonowal stated that Centre invested Rs 6,434 crore from 2014-15 to 2023-24 for the development of NWs in the country. “In Kerala, the sanctioned routes on NW-3, the West Coast Canal system, are from Kottapuram to Kollam, Champakara and Udyogamandal canals. NW-3 is 560km long, stretching from Kollam to Hosdurg in Karnataka. The other sanctioned route is NW-8, the Alappuzha-Changanassery canal, and NW-9, which is AlappuzhaAthirampuzha canal,” he said.
Sonowal said that the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations 2025 were notified, allowing private companies to invest in and operate inland waterways infrastructure by providing a clear regulatory framework to attract private sector investment for facilitating the growth of the inland waterways sector.
With growing concerns about the safety of cargo movement on roads, inland water transport (IWT) is being considered an economical, safe and environmentally friendly mode of transportation, he said. Revitalisation of inland waterways is anticipated to contribute to eco-tourism through river cruises/houseboats and sustainable transportation, he added.
He said that for developing IWT in the country, 111 national waterways were declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
Cargo movement on national waterways increased from 18 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in 2013-14 to 133 MTPA in 2023-24 and passenger movement reached 1.61 crore in 2023-24. The aim is to achieve 200 million MT by 2030 and 500 million MT by 2047, he added.
Sonowal said that for the modal shift of cargo to waterways, more than 140 public sector units (PSUs) were approached to plan their movement using IWT mode. The ministries of petroleum and natural gas, co-operation/fertiliser, food & public distribution, heavy industries, steel and coal were requested to advise the PSUs under their jurisdiction to utilise the IWT mode for their cargo movement.
