India, being a peninsular country, provides hue opportunity for an efficient waterway’s transportation. India is endowed with 14,500 kilometres of coastline, and hence proves to be an economical mode of transportation. The development of waterways is less challenging than the development of roads or railways, as the issue of land acquisition do not arise.
Out of the 111 National Waterways (NWs) declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 13 NWs are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them
Sl. No. | National Waterway (NW) No. | Length (km) | Location (S) |
1. | NW-1: Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia – Allahabad) | 1620 | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal |
2. | NW-2: Brahmaputra River (Dhubri – Sadiya) | 891 | Assam
|
3. | NW-3: West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals | 205 |
Kerala |
4. | NW-4: Phase-1development of the stretch Muktiyala to Vijyawada of river Krishna | 82 | Andhra Pradesh |
5. 6. 7.
8. | Waterways in Maharashtra i) NW-10 (Amba River) ii) NW-83 (Rajpuri Creek) iii) NW–85 (Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System) iv) NW-91 (Shastri river–Jaigad creek system) |
45 31 31
52 | Maharashtra
|
9.
10.
| National Waterways in Goa NW-68 – Mandovi – Usgaon Bridge to Arabian Sea (41 km) NW-111 – Zuari– Sanvordem Bridge to Marmugao Port (50 km). | 41
50 |
Goa |
11. 12. | National Waterways in Gujarat NW-73- Narmada river- NW-100- Tapi river | 226 436 | Gujarat &Maharastra |
13. | Sunderbans Waterways (NW-97): Namkhana to AtharaBankiKhal in West Bengal. | 172 | West Bengal (through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route) |
National waterway no. (Rashtriya Jal Marg no.) | Location details |
National Waterway 1 States: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal | Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia – Allahabad). |
National Waterway 2 State: Assam | Brahmaputra River (Dhubri – Sadiya) |
National Waterway 3 State: Kerala | West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kollam), Champakara and Udyogmandal Canals |
West Coast Canal (Kottapuram – Kozhikode) | |
National Waterway 4 States: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondichery and Maharashtra | Kakinada Canal (Kakinada to Rajahmundry) |
Godavari river (Bhadrachalam to Rajahmundry) | |
Eluru Canal (Rajahmundry to Vijayawada) | |
Krishna river (Wazirabad to Vijayawada) | |
Commamur Canal (Vijayawada to Peddaganjam) | |
South Buckingham canal (Central Station of Chennai to Marakanam) | |
Marakanam to Puducherry through Kaluvelly tank | |
River Godavari (Bhadrachalam – Nashik) | |
River Krishna (Wazirabad – Galagali) | |
National Waterway 5 States: Odisha and West Bengal | East Coast Canal and Matai river |
Brahmani-Kharsua-Dhamra rivers | |
Mahanadi delta rivers (Consisting of Hansua river, Nunanala, Gobrinala, Kharnasi river and Mahanadi river) | |
National Waterway 6 State: Assam | Aai River |
National Waterway 7 State: West Bengal | Ajoy (Ajay) River |
National Waterway 8 State: Kerala | Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal |
National Waterway 9 State: Kerala, Alternate route: 11.5 kilometre | Alappuzha- Kottayam – Athirampuzha Canal |
National Waterway 10 State: Maharashtra | Amba River |
National Waterway 11 State: Maharashtra | Arunawati – Aran River System |
National Waterway 12 State: Uttar Pradesh | Asi River |
National Waterway 13 State: Kerala and Tamil Nadu | Avm Canal |
National Waterway 14 State: Odisha | Baitarni River |
National Waterway 15 State: West Bengal | Bakreswar – Mayurakshi River System |
National Waterway 16 State: Assam | Barak River |
National Waterway 17 State: Himachal Pradesh and Punjab | Beas River |
National Waterway 18 State: Assam | Beki River |
National Waterway 19 State: Uttar Pradesh | Betwa River |
National Waterway 20 State: Tamil Nadu | Bhavani River |
National Waterway 21 State: Karnataka and Telangana | Bheema River |
National Waterway 22 State: Odisha | Birupa – BadiGenguti – Brahmani River System |
National Waterway 23 State: Odisha | BudhaBalanga |
National Waterway 24 State: Uttar Pradesh | Chambal River |
National Waterway 25 State: Goa | Chapora River |
National Waterway 26 State: Jammu and Kashmir | Chenab River |
National Waterway 27 State: Goa | Cumberjua River |
National Waterway 28 State: Maharashtra | Dabhol Creek -Vashishti River System |
National Waterway 29 State: West Bengal | Damodar River |
National Waterway 30 State: Assam | Dehing River |
National Waterway 31 State: Assam | Dhansiri / Chathe |
National Waterway 32 State: Assam | Dikhu River |
National Waterway 33 State: Assam | Doyans River |
National Waterway 34 State: West Bengal | Dvc Canal |
National Waterway 35 State: West Bengal | Dwarekeswar River |
National Waterway 36 State: West Bengal | Dwarka River |
National Waterway 37 State: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh | Gandak River |
National Waterway 38 State: Assam and West Bengal | Gangadhar River |
National Waterway 39 State: Meghalaya | Ganol River |
National Waterway 40 State: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh | Ghaghra River |
National Waterway 41 State: Karnataka | Ghataprabha River |
National Waterway 42 State: Uttar Pradesh | Gomti River |
National Waterway 43 State: Karnataka | Gurupur River |
National Waterway 44 State: West Bengal | Ichamati River |
National Waterway 45 State: Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan | Indira Gandhi Canal |
National Waterway 46 State: Jammu and Kashmir | Indus River |
National Waterway 47 State: West Bengal | Jalangi River |
National Waterway 48 State: Gujarat and Rajasthan | Jawai-Luni-Rann Of Kutch River System |
National Waterway 49 State: Jammu and Kashmir | Jhelum River |
National Waterway 50 State: Assam and Meghalaya | Jinjiram River |
National Waterway 51 State: Karnataka | Kabini River |
National Waterway 52 State: Karnataka | Kali River |
National Waterway 53 State: Maharashtra | Kalyan-Thane-Mumbai Waterway, Vasai Creek And Ulhas River System |
National Waterway 54 State: Bihar and Uttar Pradesh | Karamnasa River |
National Waterway 55 State: Tamil Nadu | Kaveri – Kollidam River System |
National Waterway 56 State: Jharkhand | Kherkai River |
National Waterway 57 State: Assam | Kopili River |
National Waterway 58 State: Bihar | Kosi River |
National Waterway 59 State: Kerala | Kottayam-Vaikom Canal |
National Waterway 60 State: West Bengal | Kumari River |
National Waterway 61 State: Meghalaya | Kynshi River |
National Waterway 62 State: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh | Lohit River |
National Waterway 63 State: Rajasthan | Luni River |
National Waterway 64 State: Odisha | Mahanadi River |
National Waterway 65 State: West Bengal | Mahananda River |
National Waterway 66 State: Gujarat | Mahi River |
National Waterway 67 State: Karnataka | Malaprabha River |
National Waterway 68 State: Goa | Mandovi River |
National Waterway 69 State: Tamil Nadu | Manimutharu River |
National Waterway 70 State: Maharashtra and Telangana | Manjara River |
National Waterway 71 State: Goa | Mapusa / Moide River |
National Waterway 72 State: Maharashtra | Nag River |
National Waterway 73 State: Maharashtra and Gujarat | Narmada River |
National Waterway 74 State: Karnataka | Netravathi River |
National Waterway 75 State: Tamil Nadu | Palar River |
National Waterway 76 State: Karnataka | Panchagangavali (Panchagangoli) River |
National Waterway 77 State: Tamil Nadu | Pazhyar River |
National Waterway 78 State: Maharashtra and Telangana | Penganaga – Wardha River System |
National Waterway 79 State: Andhra Pradesh | Pennar River |
National Waterway 80 State: Tamil Nadu | Ponniyar River |
National Waterway 81 State: Bihar | Punpun River |
National Waterway 82 State: Assam | Puthimari River |
National Waterway 83 State: Maharashtra | Rajpuri Creek |
National Waterway 84 State: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab | Ravi River |
National Waterway 85 State: Maharashtra | Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System |
National Waterway 86 State: West Bengal | Rupnarayan River |
National Waterway 87 State: Gujarat | Sabarmati River |
National Waterway 88 State: Goa | Sal River |
National Waterway 89 State: Maharashtra | Savitri River (Bankot Creek) |
National Waterway 90 State: Karnataka | Sharavati River |
National Waterway 91 State: Maharashtra | Shastri River – Jaigad Creek System |
National Waterway 92 State: West Bengal | Silabati River |
National Waterway 93 State: Meghalaya | Simsang River |
National Waterway 94 State: Bihar | Sone River |
National Waterway 95 State: Assam | Subansiri River |
National Waterway 95 State: Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha | Subarnrekha River |
National Waterway 97 State: West Bengal | Sunderbans Waterway |
Bidya River | |
ChhotaKalagachi (ChhotoKalergachi) River | |
Gomar River | |
Haribhanga River | |
Hogla (Hogal)-Pathankhali River | |
Kalindi (Kalandi) River | |
Katakhali River | |
Matla River | |
Muri Ganga (Baratala) River | |
Raimangal River | |
Sahibkhali (Sahebkhali) River | |
Saptamukhi River | |
Thakurran River | |
National Waterway 98 State: Himachal Pradesh and Punjab | Sutlej River |
National Waterway 99 State: Tamil Nadu | Tamaraparani River |
National Waterway 100 State: Maharashtra and Gujarat | Tapi River |
National Waterway 101 State: Nagaland | Tizu – Zungki Rivers |
National Waterway 102 State: Assam and Mizoram | Tlwang (Dhaleswari River) |
National Waterway 103 State: Uttar Pradesh | Tons River |
National Waterway 104 State: Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh | Tungabhadra River |
National Waterway 105 State: Karnataka | Udayavara River |
National Waterway 106 State: Meghalaya | Umngot (Dawki) River |
National Waterway 107 State: Tamil Nadu | Vaigai River |
National Waterway 108 State: Uttar Pradesh | Varuna River |
National Waterway 109 State: Maharashtra and Telangana | Wainganga – Pranahita River System |
National Waterway 110 State: Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh | Yamuna River |
National Waterway 111 State: Goa | Zuari River |
UPSC favourite topics
According to the National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 inland waterways (including five national waterways in India declared earlier) have been declared as ‘national waterways’.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), a statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India, is responsible for the timely execution of national waterways projects and to ensure improved water transportation in India.
Out of the 111 National Waterways (NWs) declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 13 NWs are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them.
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