Development of New Waterway Corridors Across India
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has announced the identification of 19 additional new National Waterways predominantly for cruise tourism and passenger ferry operations, to be developed over the next five years. This initiative follows the budget announcement for 2026-27 and is based on detailed studies conducted by the government.
Currently, India has 111 inland waterways declared as National Waterways under the National Waterways Act, 2016, of which 32 are operational for cargo and passenger movement. The government's focus remains on developing already declared and feasible waterways before adding new corridors to the national network.
The development will be implemented in a phased manner from FY2026-27 to FY2030-31. In FY2026-27, five waterways will be developed: NW-49 (Jhelum River), NW-26 (Chenab River), and NW-84 (Ravi River) in Jammu & Kashmir; NW-51 (Kabini River) and NW-90 (Sharavati River) in Karnataka; and NW-88 (Sal River) in Goa.
FY2027-28 will see development of four waterways: NW-52 (Kali River) and NW-41 (Ghataprabha River) in Karnataka; NW-22 (Birupa–Badi–Genguti–Brahmani System) and NW-96 (Subarnarekha River) in Odisha. FY2028-29 includes three waterways: NW-25 (Chapora River) in Goa; NW-13 (AVM Canal) and NW-59 (Kottayam–Vaikom Canal) in Kerala.
FY2029-30 will cover three waterways: NW-89 (Savitri River & Bankot Creek) and NW-28 (Dabhol Creek–Vashishti River) in Maharashtra; NW-20 (Bhawani River) in Tamil Nadu. Finally, FY2030-31 will develop three waterways: NW-98 (Sutlej River) in Himachal Pradesh & Punjab; NW-76 (Panchgangavali River) in Karnataka; and NW-37 (Gandak River) in Uttar Pradesh.
The information was formally provided by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, indicating the government's continued commitment to promoting inland water transport infrastructure across the country.