CARGO MOVEMENT BY IWT IN INDIA

Cargo movement by IWT increased from 32 million tons in

2003-04 to 69 million tons in 2009-10. Most of the cargo
movement by IWT takes place in Goa and Maharashtra,which
account for around 90% share of cargo traffic on IWT.

INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory
authority in charge of the waterways in India. Its headquarters
is located in Noida, UP. It does the function of building the
necessary infrastructure in these waterways, surveying the
economic feasibility of new projects and also administration.

ADVANTAGES OF IWT
1.Congestion free : Congestion not only leads to delays
in transit time but also imposes adverse social and
economic costs on the economy, as the scarce and useful
resources (e.g. fuel, productive man-days) of the
nation get wasted for no specific output.
With a coastline of around 7500 kms., coastal shipping
in India would have no such capacity constraints and has
the capability to supplement the road and rail
network and thus help reducing the congestion.

2. FUEL EFFICIENT
It is widely recognized fact that coastal shipping is a fuel-
efficient mode of transportation as compared to road
and rail modes. coastal shipping consumes only 15% of
fuel for transportation as compared to road and 54% as
compared to rail

3. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY
Coastal shipping is an environmental friendly
mode of transportation as compared to road and rail.
The estimated emissions for freight transportation by
these three modes are presented in Table below.

4. LARGE PARCEL SIZES

5.TRANSPORTATION COSTS
Road transportation proves effective for moving smaller parcels
over a distance of around 250-300 kilo-meters. Transportation
by rail is effective in moving cargo over a distance of around
300-1000 kilo-meters. However, the coastal shipping would be
economical for moving large quantities over long distance or
even over a short distance.

COMPONENTS OF IWT
To make the inland waterways useful for transportation
following components need to be developed:
1. Navigable facilities
IWAI standard is to have 2 meters draft available throughout the
waterways, which will allow a barge with 1.8 meters draft to operate. The
waterways width prescribed is 32 meters on closed channels and 38 meters
on open channels.
Navigational aids
Channel should be equipped with navigational aids for safe and easy
navigation. These aids include:
1.River notices and navigational charts
2.Navigational marks on the waterways
3.Night navigation system
2.Terminal facilities
Throughout the waterways terminal facilities are required
appropriate intervals. The required facilities at such terminals
include:
1.Jetties for berthing of vessels
2.Space for loading / unloading of cargo
3. Handling equipments such as cranes for cargo / container
movement
4. Shed / storage area for cargo
5. Area for vehicles movement for loading / unloading of
cargo
6. Space for embarking / disembarking of passengers

3.Last mile connectivity

The last mile connectivity is one of the major hurdles in
switching to IWT.
While, services are available for moving the cargo from
One terminal to another terminal, finding a service provider
for last mile connectivity is difficult and not so cost-effective.
The existing service providers have to evolve an integrated
logistics model wherein they take the responsibility for end-
to-end movement. This would remove the multiple
interfaces with different transport service providers that a
shipper is subjected to.
Moreover, the shipper would feel relieved and can focus on
its core business.