What is the significance of inland waterways in India?
Inland waterways include rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks which are deep enough to allow the ships and boats to navigate safely. India has 14,500 km of navigable waterways, contributing about 1% to the country’s transportation. At present, 3,700 km of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels, out of which only 2,000 km are actually used. Cargo transportation in an organised manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. 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. The backwaters (Kadal) of Kerala has special significance in Inland Waterway. Apart from providing cheap means of transport, they are also attracting large number of tourists in Kerala.
Inland waterways include rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks which are deep enough to allow the ships and boats to navigate safely. India has 14,500 km of navigable waterways, contributing about 1% to the country’s transportation. At present, 3,700 km of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom vessels, out of which only 2,000 km are actually used. Cargo transportation in an organised manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala. 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. The backwaters (Kadal) of Kerala has special significance in Inland Waterway. Apart from providing cheap means of transport, they are also attracting large number of tourists in Kerala.
