Increase in the use of waterways for freight transport

The development work under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) focused on achieving a Least Available Depth (LAD) of 3.0 meters at Haldia-Barh, 2.5 meters at Barh-Ghazipur, and 2.2 meters at Ghazipur-Varanasi on NW-1 with support from the World Bank. Additionally, fairway expansion work is being carried out on NW-97 in Sunderbans to enable smooth navigation of ships on the Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route. The IWAI has also identified 25 new areas for carrying out engineering interventions to develop new national waterways. Furthermore, Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax services have been initiated on various national waterways and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has allowed exemption from waterway usage charges for an initial period of three years.

The IWAI has also introduced digital solutions such as the CAR-D Portal and PANI to provide detailed information on national waterways and improve collaboration between stakeholders. The addition of new ports of call and routes in India and Bangladesh under PIWT&T is expected to improve regional trade in the inland waterway mode, while the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aim to facilitate stakeholders’ use of inland waterway transport.

Stakeholder consultations and events, such as the PM GatiShakti Multimodal Waterway Connectivity Summit, have been held to create awareness about inland waterway development projects and to promote the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC). Interventions under the World Bank-supported JMVP-II (Arth Ganga) are aimed at boosting economic activities and leading to inclusive growth and the improvement of livelihoods along national waterways.

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