National Waterway 1
| National Waterways (NW-1) | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Location | India |
| Opened | 27 October 1986 |
| Length | 1620 km |
| North end | Haldia (Sagar) |
| South end | Allahabad |
| No. of terminals |
18 Floating Terminal 2 Fixed RCC Jetty |
| Owner | Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) |
| Operator | Central Inland Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) |
The National Waterway 1 or NW1 is located in India and runs from Haldia (Sagar) to Allahabad across the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly river systems. It is 1620 km long, making it the longest waterway in India,[1] NW1 passess through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
It was declared as a waterway in October 1986. It is navigable by mechanical boat up to Patna.
The Route
| Sl No | Name of Terminal | Land area | Size of berth | Type of terminal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haldia | 10319 m2 | 200 m | Floating Terminal |
| 2 | Botanical Garden Jetty | 996 m2 | 50 m | Floating Terminal |
| 3 | BISN Jetty | 11606.64 m2 | 100 m | Floating Terminal |
| 4 | Shantipur | 8000 m2 | 100 m | Floating Terminal |
| 5 | Katwa | Pontoon placed on water front | 30 m | Floating Terminal |
| 6 | Hazardwari | Pontoon placed on water front | 30 m | Floating Terminal |
| 7 | Farakka | 4800 m2 | 80 m | Floating Terminal |
| 8 | G.R.Jetty - 2 | 14606 m2 | 216 m | Fixed RCC Jetty |
| 9 | Rajmahal | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 10 | Sahebganj | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 11 | Bateshwarsthan | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 12 | Bhagalpur | 1000 Sq. m | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 13 | Munger | 3.4 Acre | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 14 | Semaria | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 15 | Barh | - | 27 m | Floating Terminal |
| 16 | Buxar | Pontoon placed on water front | - | Floating Terminal |
| 17 | Ghazipur | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 18 | Rajgat | Pontoon placed on water front | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 19 | Allahabad | 8.759 Hectare | 35 m | Floating Terminal |
| 20 | Patna | 3.24 Acre | 46.6 m | Fixed RCC Jetty |
The Controversy
The National Waterway 1 was landed in a controversy and protests after Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Shipping in July, 2014 announced that the government will construct barrages every 100 kilometer on river Ganga and will undertake dredging activities in identified stretch to provide a width of 45 metres and a depth of three metres to enable transport of passengers and goods between Varanasi and Hooghly on river Ganga in the first stage of its development.[2][3] The initial proposal is based on a study by Danish Hydrological Institute, which prepared reports on two stretches between Allahabad and Varanasi and between Varanasi and Buxar. The plan was to provide a depth of three meters in the Ganga to make it fully navigable from Haldia to Allahabad for barges carrying 1,500-2,000 tonnes.[4] The announcement was made after World Bank agreed to fund the initial 50 million dollars including technical support without any public consultation.[5] The move was criticized by river actvists and professors of Banaras Hindu University.[6]
Involvement of World Bank
A representation was sent by several experts on the environmental and social impact of reviving the National Waterway-1 to Government of India and World Bank in August, 2014. The representation was led by economist Dr. Bharat Jhunjhunwala along with a group of environmentalists and former bureaucrats. The representation was followed by meetings with World Bank.[7] The World Bank representatives were briefed about the ecological and social implications of the proposal. The adverse impact on river bank communities, the unmitigated displacement of people due to erosion at Farakka, a cost-benefit analysis for all stakeholders involved and whether taxation of the waterway will render it unviable. The World Bank clarified that they were unaware of the plan to construct 16 barrages. They said no funds had been disbursed.[8][9]
Opposition from Bihar
The Government of Bihar led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar opposed the initiative to construct barrage on Ganga stating that construction of barrages will convert Ganga into big ponds. He stated that not a single drop of pure water from Ganga reaches Bihar due to similar barrages in upstream of the river.[10] Later, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has stated that there are at present no plans to construct any new barrage on the 1,620 km stretch of the National Waterway (NW)-1 on the Ganga.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ "Union Government launched National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu", JagranJosh, 25 January 2014
- ↑ A Waterway from Varanasi to Kolkata?, The Times of India, 2014-06-07
- ↑ Centre Plans to Develop Ganga as a Major Water Corridor, Tourism Destination, International Business Times, 2014-07-09
- ↑ "World Bank yet to decide on funding Clean Ganga". Deccan Herald. 2014-11-04.
- ↑ Lessons from Farakka as we plan more barrages on Ganga, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, 2014-11-25
- ↑ Inland waterways project will ‘kill’ the Ganga, warn activists, The Hindu, August 7, 2014
- ↑ Representations to GoI and World Bank, Ganga Waterway Information Centre, 2014-08-30
- ↑ World Bank holds meeting on Ganga waterways plan, Business Standard, 2014-10-17
- ↑ World Bank yet to decide on funding Clean Ganga, Deccan Herald, 2014-11-04
- ↑ CM opposes more barrages in Ganga, The Times of India, 2015-04-12
- ↑ ‘No plan to construct barrage on the Ganga’, The Times of India, 2015-04-21
External links
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