Water transport in India - Revision history

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	{{Use Indian English\|date=October 2017}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=October 2017}}

	''Water transport in India''' has played a significant role in the country's overall economy and is indispensable to foreign trade. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long coastline accessible through the seas and oceans. It has the largest carrying capacity of any form of transport and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances. It is one of the most cheap modes of [[transport in India]], as it takes advantage of natural track and does not require huge capital investment in construction and maintenance except in the case of canals. Its fuel efficiency contributes to lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact due to carbon. India has 14500 km of inland waterways. Out of which only 5685 km are navigable by mechanized vessels.		{{Essay-like\|date=April 2022}}

	Since 1947, India has made great progress in shipping and gradually became the second largest shipping country in Asia and sixth largest in the world. Indian ships ply on most of the shipping route of the world . India has a longer coastline of 6100 km long and have only 11 major ports. They are Mumbai , Kandla, Marmagaon, New Mangalore, Kochi on the west coast and Kolkata, Chennai, Haldia, Paradeep, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin on the east coast.		''Water transport in India'' has played a significant role in the country's economy and is indispensable to [[foreign trade]]. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long coastline accessible through the seas and oceans. It has the largest carrying capacity of any form of transport and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances. It is one of the most cheap modes of [[transport in India]], as it takes advantage of natural track and does not require huge capital investment in construction and maintenance except in the case of canals. Its [[fuel efficiency]] contributes to lower operating costs and reduced [[environmental impact of transport\|environmental impact]] due to carbon. India has 14500 km of inland waterways. Out of which only 5685 km are navigable by mechanized vessels.

			Since 1947, India has made great progress in shipping and gradually became the second largest shipping country in Asia and sixth largest in the world. Indian ships ply on most of the shipping route of the world. India has a longer coastline of 6100 km long and have only 11 major ports. They are Mumbai , Kandla, Marmagaon, New Mangalore, Kochi on the west coast and Kolkata, Chennai, Haldia, Paradeep, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin on the east coast.

	Jawaharlal Nehru port of Mumbai has been developed as one of the major ports. It is the only fully mechanized port of India. The biggest port is Mumbai which handles largest number of ships as well as trade. Kandla port in Gujarat compensates the loss of Karachi Port (Pakistan). Vishakhapatnam is the third largest port of India. Kolkata is the largest inland port of Asia.		Jawaharlal Nehru port of Mumbai has been developed as one of the major ports. It is the only fully mechanized port of India. The biggest port is Mumbai which handles largest number of ships as well as trade. Kandla port in Gujarat compensates the loss of Karachi Port (Pakistan). Vishakhapatnam is the third largest port of India. Kolkata is the largest inland port of Asia.

	[[Inland Waterways Authority of India]] ~~aims~~ to raise India's [[List of National Waterways in India\|111 national waterway]]'s current cargo handling capacity from 55 MT in 2017-18 and 72 MT in 2018–19 to 100 MT by 2021–22.<ref name=tar1>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/iwai-revises-cargo-handling-target-to-100-mt-on-national-waterways-by-fy22/articleshow/72923381.cms IWAI revises cargo handling target to 100 MT on national waterways by FY22], Economic Times, 30 December 2019.</ref>		[[Inland Waterways Authority of India]] vision to raise India's [[List of National Waterways in India\|111 national waterway]]'s current cargo handling capacity from 55 MT in 2017-18 and 72 MT in 2018–19 to 100 MT by 2021–22.<ref name=tar1>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/iwai-revises-cargo-handling-target-to-100-mt-on-national-waterways-by-fy22/articleshow/72923381.cms IWAI revises cargo handling target to 100 MT on national waterways by FY22], Economic Times, 30 December 2019.</ref>

	== Benefits of waterways transport ==		== Benefits of waterways transport ==
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	Freight transport by waterways is highly under-utilized in India compared to other large countries and geographic areas such as the [[United States]], [[China]] and the [[European Union]]. The total cargo moved (in tonne kilometres) by inland waterways was 0.1 percent of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the 21 percent figure for the United States.		Freight transport by waterways is highly under-utilized in India compared to other large countries and geographic areas such as the [[United States]], [[China]] and the [[European Union]]. The total cargo moved (in tonne kilometres) by inland waterways was 0.1 percent of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the 21 percent figure for the United States.

	== Inland Canals and Waterways ==		== Inland Canals and Inland Waterways ==

	[[India]] has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of [[river]]s, [[canals]], [[backwater (river)\|backwater]]s and [[stream\|creeks]]. The total navigable length is {{convert\|14,500\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}}, out of which about {{convert\|5200\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}} of river and {{convert\|4000\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}} of canal can be used by mechanized crafts. About {{convert\|44\|e6t\|ST\|lk=on}} of [[cargo]] are moved annually through these waterways using mechanized [[marine vessel\|vessel]]s and country boats.<ref>[https://archive.is/20120709231653/http://iwai.gov.in/introduction.htm INTRODUCTION TO INLAND WATER TRANSPORT]</ref> Cargo transported in an organized manner is confined to a few waterways in [[Goa]], [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]] and [[Kerala]]. Inland waterways consist of the [[Ganges]]-[[Hooghly River\|Bhagirathi-Hooghly]] rivers, the [[Brahmaputra]], the [[Barak River\|Barak]] river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in [[Mumbai]] and the deltaic regions of the [[Godavari]]-[[Krishna River\|Krishna]] rivers.		[[India]] has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of [[river]]s, [[canals]], [[backwater (river)\|backwater]]s and [[stream\|creeks]]. The total navigable length is {{convert\|14,500\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}}, out of which about {{convert\|5200\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}} of river and {{convert\|4000\|km\|mi\|abbr=on}} of canal can be used by mechanized crafts. About {{convert\|44\|e6t\|ST\|lk=on}} of [[cargo]] are moved annually through these waterways using mechanized [[marine vessel\|vessel]]s and country boats.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120709231653/http://iwai.gov.in/introduction.htm INTRODUCTION TO INLAND WATER TRANSPORT]</ref> Cargo transported in an organized manner is confined to a few waterways in [[Goa]], [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]] and [[Kerala]]. Inland waterways consist of the [[Ganges]]-[[Hooghly River\|Bhagirathi-Hooghly]] rivers, the [[Brahmaputra]], the [[Barak River\|Barak]] river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in [[Mumbai]] and the deltaic regions of the [[Godavari]]-[[Krishna River\|Krishna]] rivers.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
Line 52:		Line 54:
	*KSINCL- Kerala State Inland Navigation Company Limited		*KSINCL- Kerala State Inland Navigation Company Limited

	== Coastal Waterways ==		== Coastal Waterways or Coastline Waterways ==
	[[File:Vizag Seaport aerial view.jpg\|thumb\|[[Visakhapatnam]] seaport is one of the busiest ports on the east coast of India]]		[[File:Vizag Seaport aerial view.jpg\|thumb\|[[Visakhapatnam]] seaport is one of the busiest ports on the east coast of India]]

	Transport facilities available by ship along India's vast coastline are part of the coastal shipping system. The country has a coastline of nearly 7,517 km. India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among developing countries and ranks 19th worldwide. Past decades saw a sharp decline in the country's coastal shipping operation. In 1961, there were 97 ships and in 1980 the number was down to 56.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/articles/water-transport-system-in-india/2189\|title=Water Transport System in India\|date=2014-12-01\|website=Economics Discussion\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> The shipping policy committee has recommended that Indian ships secure 100% of the country's coastal trade.		Transport facilities available by ship along India's vast coastline are part of the coastal shipping system. Coastal shipping is one of the most important aspects of Indian Transport system.The
			country has a coastline of nearly 7,517 km. India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among developing countries and ranks 19th worldwide. Past decades saw a sharp decline in the country's coastal shipping operation. In 1961, there were 97 ships and in 1980 the number was down to 56.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/articles/water-transport-system-in-india/2189\|title=Water Transport System in India\|date=2014-12-01\|website=Economics Discussion\|language=en-US\|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> The shipping policy committee has recommended that Indian ships secure 100% of the country's coastal trade.

	== See also ==		== See also ==

49.206.55.13 at 04:54, 27 August 2021

2021-08-27T04:54:13Z

New page

{{more citations needed|date=August 2016}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}

''Water transport in India''' has played a significant role in the country's overall economy and is indispensable to foreign trade. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long coastline accessible through the seas and oceans. It has the largest carrying capacity of any form of transport and is most suitable for carrying bulky goods over long distances. It is one of the most cheap modes of [[transport in India]], as it takes advantage of natural track and does not require huge capital investment in construction and maintenance except in the case of canals. Its fuel efficiency contributes to lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact due to carbon. India has 14500 km of inland waterways. Out of which only 5685 km are navigable by mechanized vessels.

Since 1947, India has made great progress in shipping and gradually became the second largest shipping country in Asia and sixth largest in the world. Indian ships ply on most of the shipping route of the world . India has a longer coastline of 6100 km long and have only 11 major ports. They are Mumbai , Kandla, Marmagaon, New Mangalore, Kochi on the west coast and Kolkata, Chennai, Haldia, Paradeep, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin on the east coast.

Jawaharlal Nehru port of Mumbai has been developed as one of the major ports. It is the only fully mechanized port of India. The biggest port is Mumbai which handles largest number of ships as well as trade. Kandla port in Gujarat compensates the loss of Karachi Port (Pakistan). Vishakhapatnam is the third largest port of India. Kolkata is the largest inland port of Asia.

[[Inland Waterways Authority of India]] aims to raise India's [[List of National Waterways in India|111 national waterway]]'s current cargo handling capacity from 55 MT in 2017-18 and 72 MT in 2018–19 to 100 MT by 2021–22.<ref name=tar1>[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/iwai-revises-cargo-handling-target-to-100-mt-on-national-waterways-by-fy22/articleshow/72923381.cms IWAI revises cargo handling target to 100 MT on national waterways by FY22], Economic Times, 30 December 2019.</ref>

== Benefits of waterways transport ==
[[File:Indiarivers.png|thumb|Major rivers of India]]
[[File:Buckingham Canal near KL University.JPG|thumb|Buckingham Canal in [[Andhra Pradesh]]]]

The cost of [[Water-transport|water transport]] in India is roughly {{INRConvert|0.5|lk=on}} a kilometre, as compared to {{INRConvert|1}} by [[Indian Railways|railways]] and {{INRConvert|1.5}} by roads.<ref name="inlandWaterwaysET">{{cite web |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/maruti-suzuki-planning-to-transport-vehicles-via-inland-waterways/articleshow/53382077.cms |title=Maruti Suzuki planning to transport vehicles via inland waterways |date=25 July 2016 |access-date=25 July 2016 |work=news |publisher=Economic Times }}</ref> Water transport has received significant attention in recent times{{Clarify timeframe|date=February 2018}} as logistical costs in India are some of the highest among major countries{{Definition needed|date=February 2018}}—18 percent in India versus 8-10 percent in China and 10-12 percent in the European Union.<ref name="etNW-1">{{cite web |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/government-to-spend-rs-50000-crore-on-river-front-development-nitin-gadkari/articleshow/53668578.cms |title=Government to spend Rs 50,000 crore on river front development: Nitin Gadkari |date=12 August 2016 |access-date=12 August 2016 |work=news |publisher=The Economic Times |author=PTI }}</ref> To increase the share of waterways in inland transport, the [[National Waterways Act, 2016]] was passed which proposed 106 additional National Waterways.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gazette Notification|url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2016/169056.pdf|publisher=Gazette of India|access-date=16 April 2016}}</ref> This has the potential to greatly reduce the cost of transportation and lower the nation's [[carbon footprint]] by moving traffic from surface roads and railroads to waterways.<ref>{{citation |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/government-groups-106-national-waterways-in-three-categories/articleshow/52190923.cms |title=Government groups 106 national waterways in three categories |date=9 May 2016 |work=[[The Economic Times]] }}</ref> Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first [[DG Sea Connect|Ro-Ro ferry service]] in Gujarat in October 2017.<ref>{{citation |title=What is Gujarat’s Ro-Ro ferry service? |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-gujarat-ro-ro-ferry-service-ghogha-dahej-4900767/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=22 October 2017 }}</ref>

Freight transport by waterways is highly under-utilized in India compared to other large countries and geographic areas such as the [[United States]], [[China]] and the [[European Union]]. The total cargo moved (in tonne kilometres) by inland waterways was 0.1 percent of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the 21 percent figure for the United States.

== Inland Canals and Waterways ==

[[India]] has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of [[river]]s, [[canals]], [[backwater (river)|backwater]]s and [[stream|creeks]]. The total navigable length is {{convert|14,500|km|mi|abbr=on}}, out of which about {{convert|5200|km|mi|abbr=on}} of river and {{convert|4000|km|mi|abbr=on}} of canal can be used by mechanized crafts. About {{convert|44|e6t|ST|lk=on}} of [[cargo]] are moved annually through these waterways using mechanized [[marine vessel|vessel]]s and country boats.<ref>[https://archive.is/20120709231653/http://iwai.gov.in/introduction.htm INTRODUCTION TO INLAND WATER TRANSPORT]</ref> Cargo transported in an organized manner is confined to a few waterways in [[Goa]], [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]] and [[Kerala]]. Inland waterways consist of the [[Ganges]]-[[Hooghly River|Bhagirathi-Hooghly]] rivers, the [[Brahmaputra]], the [[Barak River|Barak]] river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in [[Mumbai]] and the deltaic regions of the [[Godavari]]-[[Krishna River|Krishna]] rivers.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Participation of Government Agencies, Public & Private Sector Enterprises in IWT/NW development
! Vessels / Terminals !! Construction, Operation & Maintenance !! Government Agencies !! Public Sector Enterprises !! Private Sector Enterprises
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
| Waterway || Constructing of waterway || IWAI || CIWTC in [[Sundarbans]] || -
|-
| Waterway || Maintenance of Waterway || IWAI || Subcontracted Dredging || Subcontracted Dredging
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
| Waterway || Navigational Support || IWAI || Ports, near port areas GPS suppliers (KPT, Port of Panaji) || -
|-
| Carriers (Vessels) || Vessel Manufacturing || - || CIWTC, Hooghly Docks, [[Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers|Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE)]] || Several
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
| Carriers (Vessels) || Vessel ownership || IWAI || CIWTC/KSINCL and others || Several
|-
| Carriers (Vessels) || Vessel maintenance/repair || - || CIWTC/KSINCL and others || Several
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
| Carriers (Vessels) || Vessel Operation || - || CIWTC/KSINCL and others || Several
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
|-
| Terminals (Jetties) || Terminal construction || IWAI and State Government || Mormugao Port Trust, CIWTC || Several
|- style="background:#C9C299;"
| Terminals (Jetties) || Terminal operation || - || Mormugao Port Trust || Several
|}

Notes:
*IWAI - [[Inland Waterways Authority of India]]
*CIWTC - Central Inland Water Transport Corporation
*KSINCL- Kerala State Inland Navigation Company Limited

== Coastal Waterways ==
[[File:Vizag Seaport aerial view.jpg|thumb|[[Visakhapatnam]] seaport is one of the busiest ports on the east coast of India]]

Transport facilities available by ship along India's vast coastline are part of the coastal shipping system. The country has a coastline of nearly 7,517 km. India has the largest merchant shipping fleet among developing countries and ranks 19th worldwide. Past decades saw a sharp decline in the country's coastal shipping operation. In 1961, there were 97 ships and in 1980 the number was down to 56.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/articles/water-transport-system-in-india/2189|title=Water Transport System in India|date=2014-12-01|website=Economics Discussion|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> The shipping policy committee has recommended that Indian ships secure 100% of the country's coastal trade.

== See also ==
{{Portal|India|Transport|Roads|Railways}}

* [[Bharatmala]], Road transport in India
* [[Expressways of India]]
* [[Setu Bharatam]], river road bridge development in India
* [[List of National Waterways in India]]
* [[Rail transport in India]]
* [[Sagar Mala project]], national water port development connectivity scheme
* [[Transport in India]]
* [[UDAN]], national airport development connectivity scheme

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=63559

{{Indian Waterways Network}}
{{Transport in India}}

[[Category:Water transport in India| ]]
[[Category:Geography of India]]