Inland Waterways Authority of India
Also called: IWAI · Topic: Transport and Communication in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was set up in 1986. It develops, maintains and regulates (makes rules for) the National Waterways. Its work includes dredging rivers to keep them deep enough for boats, marking channels and building terminals (loading points). Waterways are the cheapest and most fuel-efficient way to move heavy, bulky cargo, yet they carry only about 1% of India's traffic. IWAI's task is to revive them. The National Waterways Act 2016 increased the number of National Waterways to 111.
Example
Under the World Bank-aided Jal Marg Vikas Project on National Waterway 1 (the Ganga), IWAI built cargo terminals at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Haldia (West Bengal) (verify current).
Don't confuse with
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): set up in 1995 to build and run national highways. IWAI works on rivers and canals, not roads.
Related concepts
- Inland waterways
- National Waterways Act 2016
- National Waterway 1
- National Waterway 2
- National Waterway 3
- National Waterway 4
- National Waterway 5
- Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route