Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC)
Source: PIB
GS III: Infrastructure
Overview
- News in Brief
- About Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC)
- Inland Water Transportation (IWT)
- Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047
Why in the News?
Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) in Kolkata culminated with many firsts in an effort to ramp up capacity and augment viability of inland waterways of the country.
News in Brief
- Meet, chaired by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush was attended by key stakeholders including ministerial representations from states as well as prominent stakeholders including policy makers and the industry leaders.
- Objective to enable inland waterways as conduits of economic growth and commerce in the country.
- Inland Waterways Development Council was conceived with an objective rejuvenate rich, complex and dynamic waterways.
About Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC)
- Came into existence on 27th October 1986.
- Functions: Development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
- The head office of the Authority is at Noida.
- Projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grant received from Ministry of Shipping.
Need for IWDC
- India boasts approximately 14,500 km of navigable waterways, encompassing rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.
- Inland Water Transport (IWT) handles about 55 million tons of cargo annually, providing a fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
- IWT operations are concentrated in specific stretches, including the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, rivers in Goa, backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in Mumbai, and the deltaic regions of the Godavari-Krishna rivers.
- In addition to organized operations using mechanized vessels, country boats of various capacities operate in different rivers and canals, contributing significantly to the transportation of cargo and passengers in this unorganized sector.
The output of recent Meet
- Indian inland waterways committed an investment ₹45,000 crore for development of river cruise tourism in the country.
- An estimated ₹35,000 crore has been earmarked for cruise vessels and another ₹10,000 crore for development of cruise terminal infrastructure at the end of Amrit Kaal, i.e. by 2047.
- To amp up inland waterways for cargo trade, an investment of ₹15,200 crore has been arrived at the Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS) held in Mumbai in October, 2023.
- This is likely to register a growth rate of more than 400%, increasing the volume upto 500 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) by 2047.
- Also launched ‘Harit Nauka’ guidelines and ‘River Cruise Tourism Roadmap, 2047’ at the inaugural session of IWDC.
Inland Water Transportation (IWT)
- Inland Water Transportation (IWT) provided a unique opportunity to promote the use of electric, hybrid, hydrogen, and derivative (such as ammonia or methanol) propulsion fuels for ships.
- In the initial phase, a strategic move was made with the deployment of eight electric catamaran vessels.
- These vessels were strategically placed for pilgrimage tourism, with two stationed at Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura on National Waterway-1, and two at Guwahati on National Waterway-2.
- IWT plays a pivotal role in transforming the logistics and passenger movement landscape in the country.
- Spanning over 22,000 km across 24 states, with 111 notified National Waterways; IWT emerged as an effective alternative mode of transportation.
Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047
- It represents the true development potential inherent in India’s coastline of 7500 km, in its vital network of inland waterways, and in the coastal districts – with direct sectoral synergy and cross-sectoral multiplier effect on inclusive growth and employment.
- There are 46 initiatives identified to develop IWT under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
- The key initiatives for enhancing the modal share of coastal shipping and inland water transport include
- Creation of port-based agglomeration centres
- Creation of coastal berths near coast-based production/demand centres
- Road/Rail/IWT connectivity/expansion projects.
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