Water transport of cargo

A good beginning but challenges abound

If the trial run of the vessel carrying commercial cargo from Varanasi to Kolkata through National Waterway-1 (NW-1) proves successful - as it hopefully should - it will add a welcome new dimension to the transport sector dominated till now by rail and road movement. Water transport is one of the preferred modes for moving cargo, especially over-sized and odd-shaped goods, the world over, but has largely been neglected in India. It has taken nearly three decades for India's first national waterway - the 1,620-km stretch of river Ganga from Haldia to Allahabad - to become operational after it was formally notified in 1986, though limited movement of coal had begun in 2013. The kind of push the Narendra Modi government is now imparting to water transport generates hopes that this may ultimately emerge as a supplementary and, more importantly, cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of conveyance of goods and passengers.

Plans are said to be afoot to begin cruise services between selected religious tourism hubs on this river. Several cities on this route can also begin passenger ferries to reduce congestion on roads. Liquefied natural gas is proposed to be used as the main fuel for water transport. Cost-wise, rough estimates indicate that one horsepower of energy can carry four tonnes of load by waterways, against only 150 kg by road and 500 kg by rail. That explains why many water-rich countries in Europe and elsewhere carry over 40 per cent of their freight and passenger traffic through water. In India, on the other hand, the share of water transport is a trifle 3.6 per cent, which is now mooted to be doubled to around seven per cent by 2018.

Notably, Parliament has already passed the National Waterways Bill earlier this year, which provides for developing 101 river stretches as national waterways. This is part of the government's grandiose plan to create an interconnected rail-road-waterways logistics system in the country. Even if this programme meets part of its targets it can deliver perceptible economic gains by spurring economic activity around rivers. Besides, it can ease the pressure on the over-burdened rail and road networks. The government has done well to foreclose the risk of the project getting bogged down with dispute with states - given that water is a state subject - by putting this statute under Entry 24 of the Union List of seventh schedule of the Constitution. This section permits the Centre to make laws on shipping and navigation on inland waters that are declared as national waterways.

Such meticulous planning notwithstanding, the task of implementing this mammoth project is unlikely to be trouble-free. The meandering character of river systems, and wide fluctuations in the depth and velocity of water from place to place, besides the existence of numerous pontoon and other bridges with low clearance, pose a formidable challenge that needs to be surmounted. Constant inflow of silt in the rivers can also be problematic, requiring regular dredging. Moreover, the viability of commercial navigation will rest critically on the availability of adequate and assured two-way commodity and passenger traffic. But, a sizable part of the bulk cargo, such as coal, minerals, foodgrains and fertilisers, is usually unidirectional and may require vessels and barges to return empty, thus denting the profitability of navigation ventures. These aspects would need to be suitably addressed before committing heavy investments in infrastructure for commercial navigation.