Question

Explain the distribution of inland waterways of India.

Answer 1

The Inland Waterways Authority of India has declared five inland waterways as National Waterways. These are:

1. National Waterway No.1 (NW-1): It comprises Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System which connects Haldia-Kolkata-Farakka-Munger-Patna-Varanasi-Allahabad. It stretches to more than 1620 kms of potentially navigable waterways. It is navigable by mechanised boats upto Patna and by ordinary boats upto Haridwar.

2. National Waterway No. 2. (NW-2) : The river Brahmaputra connecting Dhubri-Pandu -Tezpur -Neamati-Dibrugarh-Sadiya stretching to about 891 kms was declared as National Waterway in the year 1988. The NW-2 connects the North-East region with Kolkata and Haldia ports through Bangladesh and Sunderbans waterways.

3. National Waterway No.3 (NW-3): It runs from Kollam to Kottapuram. It comprises 168 km of west coast canal along with Champakara canal and Udyogmandal. It was declared a National Waterway in 1993. It is one of the most navigable and tourism potential area in India and has much to offer to the potential tourists.

4. National Waterway No. 4(NW-4) : It connects the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. It comprises Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of Canal and Kalurelly Tank, stretches of river Godavari and Krishna.

5. National Waterway No.5(NW-5): It comprises Talcher-Dhamra stretch of river Brahmani, Geonkhali-Charbatia stretch of East Coast Canal, Charbatia-Dhamra stretch of Matai river along with Mahanadi delta river system. It was declared a National Waterway in 2008.