Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 15: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has achieved a historic milestone with a record-breaking 145.5 million tonnes (MMT) of cargo moved on the country's national waterways during the 2024-25 fiscal year. This marks a significant leap from 18.10 MMT in FY-14, reflecting a compound annual growth (CAGR) of 20.86%.

Cargo traffic saw a 9.34% year-on-year growth from FY-24, with coal, iron ore, sand, and fly ash contributing to over 68% of the total cargo. This milestone was supported by the expansion of operational waterways from 24 to 29 during the year.

Several key initiatives have played a crucial role in this achievement, including the Jalvahak scheme, which incentivizes cargo owners to shift from other transport modes to inland water transport (IWT). Scheduled cargo services on National Waterways 1, 2, and 16 via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol have also helped drive this change. This scheme aims to shift 800 million tonne-kilometres of cargo to IWT, contributing to nearly 17% of the current cargo volume.

Further, the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025 encourage private sector investment in terminal development, optimizing India's waterways network. New dredging contracts and Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) services have also contributed to smoother cargo movement.

Digital solutions such as the CAR-D portal, PANI portal, and Naudarshika have streamlined business processes and ensured better safety and operations for inland vessels. These measures are expected to continue boosting cargo movement and making inland water transport more sustainable.