Why in news

• Chairman of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) stated that plan will include developing waterways and jetties to improve navigable capacity of Indian rivers.
• India has an extensive network of inland waterways in form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks that may supplement over-burdened railways and congested roadways.
  • To promote Inland Water Transport (IWT), 111 waterways have been declared as National Waterways (NWs) under National Waterways Act, 2016.
  • Of these, 13 NWs are operational.
• Benefits of IWT: eco-friendly and cheaper (less fuel consumption per tonne-km), better connectivity to hinterland, require relatively less maintenance etc.
• Challenges faced in IWT:
  • Decreased water flow due to industrial, agricultural and other uses,
  • inadequate water channel depth,
  • Excessive Siltation,
  • Low technology adaption etc.
• Other initiatives taken
  • PANI (Portal for Asset & Navigation Information) provides detailed information on various waterways.
  • CAR-D (Cargo Data) Portal, a web based portal for all cargo and cruise movement data of NWs.
  • Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax Service Commenced in Various NWs.