Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has announced that the government aims to operationalise 76 waterways by 2027, in line with the Maritime India Vision 2030.

Speaking at a Consultative Committee meeting on Inland Waterways Transport in Mumbai, he highlighted that cargo traffic is expected to reach 156 million tonne per annum (MTPA) by March 2026, progressing towards the 2030 target of 200 MTPA.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) shared updates on key infrastructure initiatives, noting that inland water transport coverage will grow from 11 states in FY24 to 23 states and four Union Territories by FY27. Projects worth Rs 1,400 crore have already been launched or announced to support this expansion.

To enhance navigability, IWAI is conducting 10,000 km of monthly longitudinal surveys to determine Least Available Depth (LAD) for vessel movement. Key corridor developments include NW-1 (Ganga) with cargo terminals at Varanasi, Kalughat, Sahibganj, and Haldia; NW-2 (Brahmaputra) with Rs 208 crore ship repair facility at Pandu and Rs 180 crore road project; NW-16 (Barak) with terminals at Karimganj and Badarpur; and NW-31 (Dhansiri) supporting Numaligarh Refinery’s expansion.