The Cumberjua proposal will require funding from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)—one of the three authorities that controls National Waterways in Goa.

The Cumberjua proposal will require funding from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)—one of the three authorities that controls National Waterways in Goa.

The Cumberjua proposal will require funding from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)—one of the three authorities that controls National Waterways in Goa.

Goa's Captain of Ports (CoP) department is currently evaluating a proposal to dredge parts of the Cumberjua canal, one of six National Waterways (NWs) in the state.

The proposal, said to be in a nascent stage so far, will then require funding from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)—one of the three authorities that controls the state's NWs.

The other two authorities with control over the waterways are the Mormugao Port Authority—on behalf of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)—and the Captain of Ports (CoP) department as the nodal agency for the state.

What is the proposal about?

Specifically, the proposal seeks to dredge the mouth of the Cumberjua canal (NW-27) at Dhauji and Cortalim, where barge operators have said that their vessels get grounded during low tide, especially when fully laden with cargo, explained CoP Octavio Rodrigues, as per a Times of India report.

This canal is vital for the transport of iron ore and coal from the inland mining belts to the Mormugao Port.

Currently, the Cumberjua canal, which is at the confluence of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers, has a depth of 2.6m during high tide, but during low tide, the depth reduces, impacting the barges.

Navigation through the Cumberjua canal via the Banastarim Bridge also remains prohibited without prior permission from the CoP.

This comes after the IWAI in 2025 approved the detailed project report (DPR) for a ₹310 crore capital dredging plan for not only the Cumberjua canal, but also the Mandovi and Zuari rivers.

Around 6.5 million cubic metres of material was to be dredged to maintain a 67.5 metre-wide navigation channel with a depth of 4m.

However, the project was strongly opposed by the Goa Forward Party (GFP) at the time, as it claimed that the project would boost only the movement of commodities like iron ore and coal through the waterway, and not passengers.

“Maybe in this year we will try to move the proposal for the dredging and get the Environment Impact Assessment to be done. We have sent a letter to IWAI. They have to allocate the funding but for that we have to have a meeting,” Rodrigues added.

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