The National Waterways Act, 2016 is an Act of Parliament of India presented by Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways. It was passed by Parliament in 2016
Under this act, 111 inland waterways (additional 106 waterways) have been declared as National Waterways (NWs) in addition to the five existing NWs, across 24 States for utilizing them as an environment friendly and sustainable mode of transport.
Challenges for the Application of this Act
Many of the rivers generally remain dry. There is a need to develop water reservoirs for conservation of rain water to feed such rivers.
There is a need to estimate the quantum of water required on a weekly basis throughout the year to maintain the minimum depth of water in the canals for navigability, besides ensuring that drinking, irrigation and other demands of water do not get impacted.
Higher water salinity, especially in the coastal regions and estuaries, and constant inflow of silt in the rivers can be problematic.
The cost savings from NW would never be realized unless vessels are able to load to their full tonnage.
The right over water usage and ownership of adjacent land remain with the state government. Once a canal is declared a NW, then for any development of infrastructure or even for withdrawal of water, the State should get permission of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). This undermines the authority of the states in local development.
Heavy investment will be needed to procure equipment, including dredgers, shipping vessels, and barges of different sizes.
Suggestions to Improve
The IWAI may need to be strengthened with trained manpower along with more regional offices to enable monitoring of the projects in different states.
Apart from the IWAI, creation of a state level water management committee may be vital to resolve the issues at the state level.
