Cabinet approves bill to add 106 inland waterways to national waterways

The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposed `The National Waterways Bill, 2015', which proposes amendments to the central legislation to include an additional 106 inland waterways to the national waterways.

The amendments are based on the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture and comments of state governments, will help raise the number of national waterways to 111 from the present five.

Changes have been made to the original list of 101 waterways listed in the National Waterways Bill 2015, introduced on 5 may 2015, by omitting 10 waterways of Kerala and merging 17 waterways with the existing waterways and adding 18 waterways (5 of Karnataka, 5 of Meghalaya, 3 of Maharashtra, 3 of Kerala, 1 each of Tamilnadu and Rajasthan), thus making a total of 106 waterways in the revised list of waterways to be added to the list of five existing National Waterways.

In order to carry out these changes, an official amendment to the National Waterways Bill, 2015 will have to be moved in the Lok Sabha in the current session of Parliament.

Declaration of the above additional 106 waterways as National Waterways would not have any immediate financial implications. Financial approval of the competent authority for each waterway would, however, be taken on the basis of the outcome of the techno-economic feasibility studies currently being undertaken by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).

IWAI will develop the feasible stretch of National Waterways for shipping and navigation purpose through mobilisation of financial resources.

The declaration of these National Waterways would enable IWAI to develop the feasible stretches for shipping and navigation. The right over the use of water, river bed and the appurtenant land will remain with the state government.

In addition the states will benefit from fewer accidents, less congestion on roads, cheaper mode of ferrying passengers, reduced logistics costs in cargo movement and development of adjoining areas.

The expeditious declaration of national waterways and its subsequent development will enhance the industrial growth and tourism potential of the hinterland along the waterway. This will also provide an additional, cheaper and environment friendly mode of transportation throughout the country.

Inland water transport is considered the most cost effective and economical mode of transport from the point of view of fuel efficiency. One horse power can carry 4,000 kg load in water whereas, it can carry 150 Kg and 500 Kg by road and rail, respectively.

Further in a study as highlighted by the World Bank, one litre of fuel can move 105 ton-km by inland water transport, whereas the same amount of fuel can move only 85 ton-km by rail and 24 ton-km by road.

Studies have shown that emission from container vessels range from 32-36 gCO2 per ton-Km while those of road transport vehicles (heavy duty vehicles) range from 51-91gCO2 per ton-km.