IWDC 3.0 to review Rs 1,500-crore push for India's inland waterways: All you need to know

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday inaugurated the third meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC) in Kochi.

The day-long meeting chaired by Sonowal will review more than Rs 1,500 crore of investments into the country's inland waterways ecosystem.

This includes sessions on modernising water transport systems, enhancing the efficiency of cargo transportation, promoting green vessels for passenger transport, advancing river cruise tourism, and implementing digital and sustainable practices.

The meeting will also review the regulatory framework for inland waterways and address concerns raised by states related to ongoing and proposed waterways projects.

Foundation stones will be laid for various proposed projects worth Rs 150 crore, such as river cruise jetties in Kerala, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, and Telangana, in addition to Ro-Ro/cargo terminals at two spots on the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, and onshore facilities along the Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir.

Asset procurements account for Rs 465 crore of the investments into inland waterways.

This includes 20 pontoons and eight quick pontoon opening mechanisms (QPOMs) which facilitate quicker bridge opening times, five survey vessels (of which four are hybrids), 12 dredgers, three tug-barges, and four jetties for berthing Ro-Pax vessels—a type of Ro-Ro vessel specifically used for ferrying passengers.

The IWDC 3.0 will also see the announcement of new waterways projects worth more than Rs 900 crore.

This includes a plan to develop 110 jetties in Odisha and northeast India. Commissioning 10 hybrid electric vessels for Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the National River Traffic and Navigation System (NRT&NS) to Maharashtra, and establishing a slipway facility in Kochi are also among the major projects to be proposed during the Friday meeting.

Other proposed projects of note include two Assam-based ones—a cruise terminal at the Uzan Bazaar Ghat and an approach road at the Bogibeel River Port.

These major investments are expected to accelerate green mobility, modern logistics, and river-led economic growth.

There has been a 711 per cent increase in cargo movement on India's inland waterways—from 18 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 146 million tonnes in 2024-25. The number of operational National Waterways (NWs) has also increased from three in 2013-14 to 32 in 2024-25.