Abstract
Inland Waterways (IWT) is the finest mode of transportation available.With lowest capital cost, low running cost and low maintenance cost the cost of moving goods through this mode is just a fraction of other modes like Road and Rail.On top of this IWT is an environment friendly mode with least external costs.India has been blessed with long navigable waterways in excess of 14000 KM.However, post-independence IWT never got the desired attention resulting in IWT share of total transportation a meagre 0.4%.This prompted the authors to evaluate the progress of IWT since independence, the various challenges being faced and suggest possible steps to increase IWT share in India. The paper outlines the various waterways in India, the governance structure to manage IWT, various policies and programs undertaken by Indian authorities to promote IWT, a comparison of Indian IWT with US, China and EU, the key barriers in growth and future recommendations.
Highlights
Inland Waterways (IWT) is the finest mode of transportation available.With lowest capital cost, low running cost and low maintenance cost the cost of moving goods through this mode is just a fraction of other modes like Road and Rail.On top of this IWT is an environment friendly mode with least external costs.India has been blessed with long navigable waterways in excess of 14000 KM.post-independence IWT never got the desired attention resulting in IWT share of total transportation a meagre 0.4%.This prompted the authors to evaluate the progress of IWT since independence, the various challenges being faced and suggest possible steps to increase IWT share in India
Research Methodology To address research question one, a detailed survey has been made of published literature and statistics on Inland Water Transport in India to understand the historical development, the progress made since independence, the governance structure, various agencies involved in this sector, the various policy initiatives taken by Indian Government to promote this sector
The only excep¬tion to be made to waterway length is for urban conglomera¬tions and intra-port traffic. d) It should pass through and serve the interest of more than one State. e) It should connect a vast and prosperous hinterland and Major Ports. f) It should pass through a strategic region where development of navigation is considered necessary to provide logistic support for national security. g) It should connect places not served by any other modes of transport
Summary
Inland Waterways (IWT) is the finest mode of transportation available.With lowest capital cost, low running cost and low maintenance cost the cost of moving goods through this mode is just a fraction of other modes like Road and Rail.On top of this IWT is an environment friendly mode with least external costs.India has been blessed with long navigable waterways in excess of 14000 KM.post-independence IWT never got the desired attention resulting in IWT share of total transportation a meagre 0.4%.This prompted the authors to evaluate the progress of IWT since independence, the various challenges being faced and suggest possible steps to increase IWT share in India. Rivers have a very large role to play in development of human civilization. The great Giza pyramids would not have built without movement of blocks of stone through river Nile. Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) is the transportation of cargo over rivers, backwaters, canals and creeks. Among all modes of transportation in a country, it is the most inexpensive mode of transportation due to following reasons: a) Low Capital Cost: Being a natural mode, Inland Waterways does not require a large development cost like road construction or Rail-Track lying. Estimates show that developing and building an inland waterway costs about 5-10 per cent to that of 4-lane highway/railway [1]. It is estimated that one litre fuel can transport 24 tonne/km freight by road, 85 tonne/km by rail and 105 tonne/km by waterways [1]. It offer less resistance to traction at reasonable speed and enjoys low maintenance cost as channels are almost natural [2]
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