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India's inland waterways: 111 National Waterways
बातमीत का?
India has 111 National Waterways, but can you name the 2016 Act and NW-1 for GS-III?
India's 111 National Waterways are being expanded for safer, cheaper cargo transport.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 मिनिटे
India has 111 National Waterways.
Expanding inland water transport aims to improve navigation safety, infrastructure and the efficiency of cargo movement.
स्रोत: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
महत्त्वाची तथ्ये
Remember these
- National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 National Waterways (including 5 existing ones).
- Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was set up in 1985 and is headquartered in Noida.
- NW-1: Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Haldia to Prayagraj, about 1,620 km, declared in 1986.
- NW-2: Brahmaputra, Dhubri to Sadiya; NW-3: West Coast Canal, Kottapuram to Kollam.
- Inland water transport is cheaper and less polluting than road or rail for bulk cargo.
पूर्व · मुख्य
How the exam will ask it
पूर्व
- The National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 inland waterways as National Waterways, bringing them under Central Government control.
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
- National Waterway-1 runs along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system from Haldia to Prayagraj.
- Inland water transport is generally more fuel-efficient and has lower emissions per tonne-km than road transport.
मुख्य
GS-III Infrastructure: India's heavy reliance on road and rail raises logistics costs, and the National Waterways Act, 2016 brought 111 waterways under Central regulation to promote cheaper, greener cargo movement. The implication is lower freight cost and emissions, but progress is held back by shallow draught, limited terminals and seasonal flow. The way forward is assured depth through dredging, multimodal terminals, night navigation aids and cargo anchoring through long-term contracts.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
India has declared how many National Waterways under the National Waterways Act, 2016?
- 111
- 101
- 106
- 116
उत्तर पहा
उत्तर: A — Correct: 111 — Right: the Act declared 111 National Waterways. • 101 — Wrong: 101 is not the count; the Act declared 111. • 106 — Wrong: 106 is not the count; the Act declared 111. • 116 — Wrong: 116 is not the count; the Act declared 111.
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