India's inland waterways see record cargo movements, expanded infrastructure: Centre

The combination of strategic investments, policy initiatives, and digital innovations positions the country to further enhance its inland water transport (IWT) sector, contributing to sustainable transportation and economic development.

“Continued focus on these areas will be crucial in achieving the ambitious targets set for the coming decades.,” said Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in a statement.

In a significant achievement for India's IWT sector, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) reported a record-breaking cargo movement of 145.5 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2024–25.

The number of operational national waterways has also increased from 24 to 29 during the same period, reflecting a strategic push towards multimodal connectivity and sustainable transport solutions.

Cargo traffic on National Waterways has increased from 18.10 (million metric tonnes) MMT to 145.5 MMT (million metric tonnes) between FY-14 and FY-25, recording a CAGR of 20.86 per cent, informed the ministry.

In FY-25, traffic movement registered a growth of 9.34 per cent year-on-year from FY-24. Five commodities -- coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand and fly ash -- constituted over 68 per cent of total cargo moved on NWs during the year. Passenger movement has also reached 1.61 crore in 2023–24.

The government has set ambitious targets for cargo movement via inland waterways.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) aims to increase the modal share of freight movement through IWT from 2 per cent to 5 per cent and traffic volume to more than 200 million metric tonnes (MMT) in line with the ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’ and more than 500 million metric tonnes (MMT) by 2047 as per the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.

The operational length of NWs increased from 2,716 km (2014-15) to 4,894 km (2023-24). Major works include fairway maintenance, community jetties, floating terminals, Multi-Modal Terminals (MMTs), Inter-Modal Terminals (IMTs), and navigational locks, said the ministry.