Inland Waterways invites corporates to boost cargo movement

MUMBAI: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), a government body engaged in waterways development, has invited corporates to help increase cargo movement in the country by ship.

IWAI said it is requesting proposals "from marketing organisations\corporates ... to increase cargo movement through inland waterways transport ..."

It has said that despite being cost-effective, the share of inland water transport at present is only 0.38 per cent of the total cargo moved in the country.

According to IWAI, there is a huge potential for cargo movement through inland waterways and that barges can carry several times more cargo than trucks.

IWAI said this mode of transport was suitable for bulk unperishable cargo like coal, cement, clinker, jute, tea as also hazardous material.

The Government is keen on developing waterways for cargo and has entrusted IWAI with the task of providing infrastructure like navigation facilities and putting up terminals for loading and unloading operations.

There are three national waterways at present and the number is expected to go up.

According to IWAI's website, the country has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways which comprise of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. About 55 million tones of cargo is being moved annually by inland water transport.

However, its operations are currently restricted to a few stretches in the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, rivers in Goa, the backwaters of Kerala, inland waters in Mumbai and the deltaic regions of the Godavari-Krishna rivers.

Besides, the organised operations by mechanised vessels, boats of different capacities operate in various rivers and canals and substantial quantum of cargo and passengers are transported by this unorganised sector.