Waterways to be the New Highways!

Dr Niranjan Hiranandani – National President -NAREDCO

If we say transportation is to the country what blood circulation is to the body, then it will not be categorized as an exaggeration. Transportation has always played an important role when it comes to the development of the country. Given its diverse topography, India enjoys a plethora of transportation to choose from, inland waterways are one of the options which also has been the least developed so far.  

There have been discussions in the past decade- within the government and on various forums- comparing us to the success of other countries.  China does 47 percent of its trade through waterways, Europe does 40 percent, even our neighbour Bangladesh uses waterways for 35 percent of its trade, wherein India does a minuscule 3.5 percent of its trade via waterways. India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways that include rivers, backwaters, canals, creeks and so on. With thrust on infrastructure development for speedy economic growth, the government has been promoting integrated waterways as a preferred mode of transport. The Indian National Waterways Act passed in 2016, aimed at redefining the transportation landscape of India.

The National Waterways Act mandates the Central Government to regulate these waterways for the systematic and orderly development of shipping, and navigation activities. Spread across the Eastern, Western, Southern and Central regions of the country, these waterways cover nearly 15000 kilometres including the country’s 138 river systems, creeks, estuaries, and related canal systems, and can be utilized as a channel to move passengers and cargo within the country and to the neighbouring countries. These will enhance the supply chain management which is imperative to become a global manufacturing hub under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Mission.    

Why Waterways?  

The answer to that question lies in the facts that say they are cost-effective, environment- friendly and can work as a supplementary to the congested and pressured roads and rail networks. The cost of developing waterways is far less than that of rail or road. Also, 1 litre of fuel moves 105 tonnes on inland water transport thereby reducing the Carbon Dioxide emission by 50% as compared to trucks.

Western Coastline

Given the availability of rich minerals and resources, the west coast districts are suitable for the development of the extractive industry. With the growth potential of these industries, there lays a huge potential for the growth of coastal and inland waterways. Inland waterways are now the focus of the Maharashtra Maritime Board.

Mumbai Can Lead

 If we look at the GDP on the rate of return on a particular river or waterway, it will also help to further understand that the passenger is just as important as cargo movements. When a road is created, we don’t look at what type of traffic is moving on it but in waterways, the focus is more on the size and type of cargo and not about the passenger.

Mumbai Port Trust is a prime example of moving from cargo to passenger and set an example for the rest of India. Mumbai has planned many projects to solve the transportation issues of this island city.

The new water transport projects that are initiated include the Coastal Road Project, Mumbai- Harbour Trans link (MTHL), Roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) services for Alibaug, Thane-Borivali creek connection, Thane coastal road and Thane-Navi Mumbai intra-city water services. All these projects are going to benefit the infrastructural development of the city and the industry in the long-run.

The Coastal Road Project: It will not only solve the present problems of commuting but will ensure that it is ‘future-ready’ to propel the city’s economic growth. From a real estate development perspective, we see the advantage that these infrastructure projects will create, and there is no doubt the waterways transport will bring a similar positive impact.

The Mumbai- Harbour Trans link (MTHL): The 22kms Bridge connecting Sewri in Mumbai and Nhava Sheva port in Navi-Mumbai will be a game changer. Connecting two twin cities will boost commercial as well as residential real estate.  

 The Issues Eclipsing the Success of waterways across the country:

The government is facing challenges to establish robust waterways systems bypassing issues like, seasonal river flows, dry summers, low height bridges obstructing traffic and diverting river navigation without hurting irrigation and drinking water needs. The other main problem with inland water transport is that the river needs enough depth throughout the year to be available as an inland waterway. Many Indian rivers do not have that level of water. It translates into extensive dredging of riverbeds to make them navigable. The government needs to find alternative ways to make the project financially viable. These waterways linkages will redefine the infrastructure landscape in Mumbai as well as India. It will open broadways to enhance trade and commerce boosting GDP of the nation with a multiplier effect.