The trial run of the much-hyped National Waterway-5 (NW-5) being developed by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on the Brahmani-Mahanadi delta system along with the East Coast Canal has finally started. It would be conducted initially from Dhamara to Rajnagar as part of a technical study to evaluate the river stretches in terms of depth and suitability for different kinds of vessels and cargo payload.

The much-awaited waterway project, being developed at an investment of Rs 4,200 crore will be an alternative to the congested rail and road routes. An estimated 11 million tonne of cargo can be transported annually though the route, and it can go up to 23 million tonne in the next 15 years.

Once developed, it will cover 623 km through different stretches from Talcher-Dhamra on the Brahmani River, a distance of 265 km including the Kharsua and Dhamra river systems, the Charbatia-Dhamra stretch of Matai River of 40 km, and the Mangalgadi-Paradip stretch of the Mahanadi River Delta running for 101 km, besides the 217 km Geonkhali-Charbatia stretch of East Coast Canal.

NW-5 will consist largely of cargo such as coal, fertiliser, cement, iron ore and agricultural and industrial products that will be handled at four terminals like Talcher, Nasirabd, Balasore and Rajnagar.