Question

Explain the various types of waterways.

Answer 1

Water transport can be divided into two categories-

a) Inland waterways and

b) Oceanic waterways.

Inland waterways include rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks which are deep enough to allow the ships and boats to navigate safely. India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways out of which about 3700 km of river and 4300 km of canals are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels. Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India. It does the function of building the necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the economic feasibility of new projects and also administration and regulation.

India has a long coastline of 7,517 km forming one of the biggest peninsulas in the world. It has 12 Major ports and 187 notified Minor and Intermediate ports. Oceanic waterways constitute an important role in the transport sector of India's economy. Ocean routes handle 95 percent of India's foreign trade by volume and about 70 percent by value. Besides international trade, these routes are also used for transportation between the islands and the rest of the country.