Waterways Transport Sees Surge: Passenger and Cargo Movement Skyrocket

The number of passengers using India's national waterways has witnessed a remarkable rise from 33.16 lakh in 2019-20 to 1.61 crore in 2023-24, according to the Union government’s statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Similarly, cargo movement has surged from 73.64 million tonnes to 133.03 million tonnes during the same period.

The data was shared by Union Minister for Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, in response to a question by MP Parimal Nathwani. Nathwani had sought details on the usage of waterways for passenger and cargo transport over the past five years and the government’s initiatives to boost waterway-based travel and trade.

Sonowal informed the House that India has 29 operational national waterways, with four of them—Narmada river (NW-73), Tapi river (NW-100), Jawai-Luni-Rann of Kutch river (NW-48), and Sabarmati river (NW-87)—located in Gujarat.

To further promote inland water transport (IWT), the government has approved a scheme offering a 35% incentive for cargo owners to use waterways and establish scheduled cargo services on NW-1, NW-2, and NW-16 via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol. Additionally, 140 public sector units have been approached to incorporate IWT into their logistics planning.

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