NEW DELHI, 24th April, 2025 (WAM) – India has increased the number of its national waterways by 22 times to provide sustainable cargo transportation and environment-friendly movement of goods, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has announced.
As a result, India achieved a record cargo movement of 145.5 million metric tonnes on its inland national waterways during the fiscal year 2024-25, which ended on 31st March.
Transport by waterways is less polluting than trucking of goods or movement of cargo by rail and promotes the environment.
Hydrogen vessels and hybrid electric catamarans are being used in water transport to achieve this objective, according to Vijay Kumar, Chairman of India’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
To keep up with technological developments globally, Kumar said the IWAI has undertaken key initiatives such as a National River Information System, a dedicated portal for navigational information and a variety of green initiatives.
According to India’s recently unveiled Maritime India Vision 2030, the IWAI aims to increase the share of freight movement through inland waterways to 200 million metric tonnes in the next five years and to 500 million metric tonnes by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence.
The IWAI was established in 1986 as India’s nodal agency to develop and regulate national waterways. In 2015, India had only five national waterways. It has now gone up to 111, the Ministry said.
WAM/Krishnan Nayar