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There are 32 operational National Waterways (NWs) with navigable length of 5155 km throughout the country. Details of year-wise funds allocated and utilised for development of NWs during the last five years are given at Annexure-I.
Annexure-I
Year-wise funds allocated and utilised for development of NWs during last five years
(Rs. in crore)
S.
No.
National Waterways
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
2024-25
2025-26*
NW-1 (Ganga Bhagirathi-Hooghly Rivers) in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal
87.83
66.25
163.38
97.72
98.36
Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP)
229.60
339.22
501.26
501.48
616.27
2.
NW-3 (West Coastal canal, kerala including NW-8 (Alapuzzha-Changonasser) & NW-9 (Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha Canal) in Kerala
10.83
3.82
4.78
15.26
22.93
3.
Phase-1, NW-4 (Krishna River) in Andhra Pradesh)
3.08
0.18
0.67
1.22
18.28
4.
Phase-1, NW-5 (Mahanadi Delta Rivers in , Odisha
2.58
0.76
26.53
2.24
8.66
5.
Other Plan Schemes including new NWs-NW-27 (Cuberjua River), NW-68 (Mondavi River), NW-111 (Zuari) in Goa; NW-86 (Rupnarayan River) & NW-97 (Sunderbans Waterways) in West Bengal
13.47
4.36
11.25
33.48
77.52
6.
NW-2 (Brahmaputra River) & NW-16 (Barak River)
78.04
100.18
261.76
432.30
232.46
Total
425.43
514.77
969.63
1083.70
1074.48
*Un-audited
Details of NW-wise cargo movement during the last five years in various States and ferry services currently operational are given in Annexure-II. State-wise details of passenger traffic handled on NWs and the number of terminals/ jetties are given at Annexure-III and Annexure-IV respectively.
Annexure-II
Details of Cargo movement on NWs
(Cargo in Million Metric Tonnes)
National Waterways (NW)
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
2024-25
2025-26
NW-1 [Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (Haldia-Allahabad)]
10.93
13.17
12.82
16.38
84.78
NW-2 [(Brahmaputra River (Dhubri-Sadiya)]
0.43
0.63
0.59
0.90
1.29
NW-3 (West Coast Canal)
1.70
3.23
3.29
3.49
4.04
NW-4 (Krishna Godavari River Systems)
11.23
8.42
4.30
10.40
5.71
NW-5 (East Coast Canal And Matai River/Brahmani-Kharsua-Dhamra Rivers/Mahanadi Delta Rivers)
0.01
0.40
0.64
0.38
0.66
NW-8 (Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal)
-
0.03
0.04
0.04
0.04
NW-9 (Alappuzha-Kottayam Athirampuzha Canal)
-
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.03
NW-14 (Baitarni River)
-
-
0.00
-
0.03
NW-16 (Barak River)
0.01
0.01
0.00
0.18
0.27
NW-23 (Budha Balanga River)
-
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.02
NW-27 (Cumberjua River)
-
-
-
-
0.36
NW-31 (Dhansiri/Chathe River)
-
-
0.01
0.00
0.00
NW-44 (Ichamati River)
0.82
0.46
0.48
0.49
0.49
NW-47 (Jalangi River)
-
-
-
-
0.11
NW-48 (Jawai-Luni River and Rann of Kutch )
-
-
-
2.40
2.58
NW-53 (Kalyan-Thane-Mumbai Waterway, Vasai Creek And Ulhas River)
-
-
-
2.70
3.23
NW-57 (Kopili River)
-
-
-
-
0.00
NW-64 (Mahanadi River)
0.01
0.45
0.67
0.40
0.47
NW-86 (Rupnarayan River)
0.00
0.09
0.10
0.14
0.18
NW-94 (Sone River)
-
-
1.16
0.97
0.05
NW-97 (Sunderbans Waterway)
6.10
5.47
5.19
5.98
6.36
Sub Total (National Waterways 1,2,3,4,5,16,44,64,86,94,&97)
31.24
32.41
29.34
44.91
110.70
Maharashtra Waterways
-
NW-10 (Amba River)
20.23
28.54
30.17
29.69
31.07
NW-83 (Rajpuri Creek)
0.23
0.24
0.45
0.27
0.28
NW-85 (Revadanda Creek-Kundalika River System)
0.70
0.50
0.99
0.82
0.26
NW-91 (Shastri River - Jaigad Creek System)
22.45
33.87
37.05
32.64
34.41
Total Maharashtra Waterways
43.61
63.15
68.66
63.41
66.02
Goa Waterways
-
NW-68 (Mandovi River)
2.62
2.54
2.42
2.84
5.13
NW-111 (Zuari River)
1.96
0.39
1.10
1.32
1.57
Total Goa Waterways
4.58
2.93
3.52
4.16
6.70
Gujarat Waterways
-
NW-73 (Narmada River)
0.05
0.04
0.06
0.06
0.06
NW-100 (Tapi River)
29.32
27.62
31.46
33.31
34.75
Total Gujarat Waterways
29.37
27.66
31.51
33.36
34.81
GRAND TOTAL
108.79
126.15
133.03
145.84
218.24
Annexure-III
State wise number of passengers traffic handled on NWs
S. No.
NW Number
State(s)
2024-25
2025-26
1
NW-1
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal
4,72,02,730
4,91,51,933
2
NW-2
Assam
50,71,938
88,67,999
3
NW-3
Kerala
1,05,23,478
1,11,19,541
4
NW-4
Andhra Pradesh
-
23,36,857
5
NW-5
Odisha
-
41,25,827
6
NW-8
Kerala
4,75,513
4,24,678
7
NW-9
Kerala
2,78,024
2,95,768
8
NW-10
Maharashtra
2,96,759
3,22,499
9
NW-14
Odisha
-
4,80,385
10
NW-16
Assam
20,06,940
37,38,567
11
NW-23
Odisha
-
76,567
12
NW-27
Goa
-
7,20,724
13
NW-40
Uttar Pradesh
-
14,339
14
NW-44
West Bengal
4,27,054
8,33,163
15
NW-47
West Bengal
-
87,188
16
NW-53
Maharashtra
24,40,300
31,70,252
17
NW-64
Odisha
-
4,61,567
18
NW-68
Goa
28,04,828
87,08,115
19
NW-83
Maharashtra
-
2,36,672
20
NW-86
West Bengal
7,13,113
9,39,412
21
NW-91
Maharashtra
-
1,02,425
22
NW-97
West Bengal
31,85,723
67,02,172
23
NW-100
Gujarat
3,25,900
3,50,914
24
NW-111
Goa
6,29,032
23,02,878
Total
7,63,81,332
10,55,70,442
Ferry service is currently operational on 23 NWs viz., NW-1, NW-2, NW-3, NW-4, NW-5, NW-8, NW-9, NW-10, NW-14, NW-16, NW-23, NW-27, NW-44, NW-47, NW-53, NW-64, NW-68, NW-83, NW-86, NW-91, NW-97, NW-100 & NW-111.
Annexure-IV
List of permanent terminals / Floating Jetties / Landing Points on NWs
National Waterway -1
Permanent Terminals
1
Multimodal Terminal (MMT) Varanasi
2
Intermodal Terminal Kalughat
3
MMT Sahibganj
4
Garden Reach Jetty I, Kolkata
5
Garden Reach Jetty II, Kolkata
6
MMT Haldia
7
Farakka Jetty (of Farakka Barrage Project)
8.
Gaighat, Patna
9
Pakur Jetty (of Farakka Barrage Project)
Floating Jetties/ Landing Points
10
Chunar
11
Mirzapur
12
Ghazipur
13
Buxar
14
Doriganj
15
Chirand
16
Simaria
17
Munger
18
Sultanganj
19
Bateshwarsthan
20
Samtaghat
21
Jangipur
22
Murshidabad
23
Matiari
24
Kalna
25
Kolkata
26
Namkhana
27
Bhagabatpur
National Waterway-97
Floating Jetties/ Landing Points
28
Bali Island
29
Hemnagar (India)
National Waterway-2
Permanent Terminals
30
Pandu, Guwahati
31
Dhubri
Floating Jetties/ Landing Points
32
Jogighopa
33
Goalpara
34
Bagbor
35
Bohiri
36
Sualkuchi
37
North Guwahati
38
Machkowa
39
Fancy Bazar
40
Uzan Bazar
41
Mayong Pahar
42
Pobitora
43
Singri
44
Tezpur
45
Silghat (Kaziranga National Park)
46
Biswanath Ghat
47
Dhansiri Mukh
48
Bindhyakata
49
Gamir Ghat
50
Subansiri Mukh
51
Majuli Island
52
Neamati Ghat
53
Aplamukh
54
Sibsagar (Dikhomukh)
55
Bogibeel
56
Dibrugarh
57
Okland
58
Orium Ghat
59
Guizan
60
Saikhowa
61
Sadiya
National Waterway-3
Permanent Terminals
62
Kottapuram
63
Aluva
64
CSEZ Kakkanad
65
Maradu
66
Vaikkom
67
Thannermukkom
68
Alappuzha
69
Thrikunnappuzha
70
Kayamkulam
71
Chavara
72
Kollam
73
Bolgaty
74
Willingdon Island
National Waterway-16
Permanent Terminals
75
Badarpur
76
Karimganj
Community Jetties on NW-1
Uttar Pradesh
77
Ramnagar
78
Raj ghat
79
Kaithy
80
Balua ghat
81
Saidpur
82
Chochakpur
83
Zamania
84
Collector ghat
85
Ujiyar ghat (Bharauli)
86
Majhaua
87
Ravidas ghat
88
Ravidas ghat (Shifted from Samne Ghat)
89
Saraikota
90
Dungurpur
91
Kanspur
92
Ravidas Ghat
93
Namo Ghat-1
94
Namo Ghat-2
Bihar
95
Manihari
96
Tintanga
97
Kahalgaon
98
Aguani Ghat
99
Munger
100
Sultanganj
101
Digha, Bihar
102
Mithan Ghat
103
Kacchi Dargah
104
Mohanpur
105
Raghopur Diara
106
Nakta Diara
107
Nasiriganj
108
Panapur
109
Barh
110
Buxar
111
Mahuli Ghat
112
Karagola
113
Ayodhya ghat
114
Simariya
115
NIT Ghat
Jharkhand
116
Rajmahal (Manglaghat)
117
Samda Ghat
West Bengal
118
Dainhat
119
Matiary
120
Sankhai
121
Sathiati
122
Agardwip (Ghazipur site)
123
Agradip (Agradip site)
124
Ghoriapara-1
125
Ghoriapara-2
126
Talatala
127
Fakirdanga
128
Maniknagar
129
Maganpara
130
Narkelbaria
131
Plassey (Palasi)
132
Ramnagar
133
Lalbagh Court Ghat
134
Sadar Ghat
135
Berhampore (Gopal Ghat)
136
Berhampore (Khagra Ghat)
137
Saptarishi Ghat
138
Majherchar
139
Guptipara
140
Baranagar
141
Devipur
142
Bazarpada
Infrastructure and Policy measures taken to promote inland water travel, improve last-mile connectivity, ensure passenger safety, and enhance affordability and environmental sustainability are given at Annexure-V.
Annexure-V
Infrastructure and Policy measures taken to promote inland water travel, improve last-mile connectivity, ensure passenger safety, and enhance affordability and environmental sustainability
Infrastructure measures:
66 community jetties, 20 floating terminals, 3 Multi-Modal Terminals (MMT), 1 Inter-Modal Terminal (IMT) and 4 Ro-Pax terminals have been constructed on NW-1 in addition to 5 pre-existing permanent terminals.
13 floating terminals provided on NW-2 along with MMTs at Pandu, Jogighopa and terminals at Bogibeel and Dhubri. Four dedicated Jetties for cruise vessels have been provided at Jogighopa, Pandu, Biswanath Ghat and Neamati. In addition to this, Jetties for cruise and passengers have been constructed at Sadiya, Lyka and Orium Ghat in Assam.
2 existing terminals at Badarpur & Karimganj on NW-16 have been upgraded/ renovated and 1 terminal at Sonamura on Gumati river in Tripura on the IBP route has been constructed.
9 Permanent IWT terminals with godowns and 2 Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax terminals have been constructed on NW-3 in Kerala.
4 floating concrete jetties have been provided to the Govt. of Goa and installed on NW-68.
4 Tourist Jetties on NW-4 in Andhra Pradesh have been commissioned and 8 Floating Jetties on NW-110 in Mathura-Vrindavan stretch in Uttar Pradesh, 2 Jetties on NW-73 and 2 Jetties on NW-37 in Bihar have been established.
A new Navigation Lock at Farakka has been constructed.
2 Quick Pontoon Opening Mechanisms (QPOMs) have been constructed on NW-1 to facilitate smooth and faster movement of vessels.
Fairway maintenance works (river training, maintenance dredging, channel marking and regular hydrographic surveys) have been taken up in various National Waterways for providing a navigation channel of 35/45 m width and 2.0 / 2.2 / 2.5 / 3.0 m least available depth (LAD) for operation of vessels.
Policy Measures:
Jalvahak Scheme: A scheme for providing 35% incentive to promote the utilization of inland waterways transport sector by cargo owners and for scheduled service for cargo movement on NW-1 and NW-2 and NW-16 via IBP route by Inland & Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL) has been approved by the Government. The scheme is implemented at a cost of INR 95.42 Crore for three years.
Tonnage tax: An extension of the tonnage tax scheme to inland vessels registered under the Indian Vessels Act, 2021 was announced during the budget presented on 01.02.2025. Inland vessels operating on NWs, rivers, and canals, will be benefited. This move is expected to boost the industry's competitiveness and encourage more cargo owners to use inland waterways for transportation. A tonnage tax system is a special taxation policy for shipping companies where tax is not based on actual profits but on the size (tonnage) of the vessel. It provides stable, predictable, and lower taxation for vessel owners, reducing their financial burden.
The National Waterways (Construction of Jetties / Terminals) Regulations 2025 has been notified, allowing private companies to invest and operate Inland Waterways infrastructure by providing a clear regulatory framework to attract private sector investment for facilitating the growth of inland waterways sector.
Jalyan & Navic : To increase ease of doing business in the IWT sector, along the same lines as ‘vahan’ and ‘sarathi’, a central data base and portal has been developed for registration of vessels and crew all over the country. This will facilitate registration of vessels and crew digitally and would also provide accurate status on the number of vessels and crew in the country and thus help in planning.
Cargo Aggregation : The cargo movement on the waterways suffer from problems of multimodality because of lack of industries along the waterways. Therefore, projects for development of cargo aggregation hub – MMLP at Varanasi and Integrated Cluster- cum-Logistics Park, Sahibganj have been taken up. NHLML, a PSU under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has been engaged for development of these MMLPs. The work of Rail connectivity for three MMTs has been assigned to M/s Indian Port and Rail Company Ltd. (a PSU under MoPSW).
IBP Route : Indo Bangladesh Protocol route no. 5 & 6 between Maia and Sultanganj has been operationalized recently with successful trial movements.
Shift of cargo by PSUs: For modal shift of cargo to waterways, more than 140 PSUs have been approached to plan their movement using IWT mode. They have been requested to outline their current status of cargo movement through the waterways and their plan for modal shift of cargo. Ministries of PNG, Co-operation, Fertiliser, Food & Public Distribution, Heavy industries, Steel and Coal have been requested to advise the PSUs under their jurisdiction to utilise IWT mode as far as possible and earmark certain percentage of their cargo for IWT mode keeping in line the MIV targets.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
MI/Indu
Official source
[Read the original PIB release](https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2290484)
Source attribution: Press Information Bureau, Government of India.