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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5708
ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026
OPERATIONAL NATIONAL WATERWAYS
5708. SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:
Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state:
प(cid:517)न,पोत प(cid:303)रवहन और जलमाग(cid:330) मं(cid:361)ी
(a) the number of Waterways declared ads National Waterways so far and the number
of those currently operational along with the details of its length, location and the year in
which operations commenced, State-wise and year-wise;
(b) the reasons for the gap between the number of declared waterways and those that
are operational; and
(c) the details of the plan of the Government to develop twenty new waterway corridors
during the next five years, including the proposed routes, estimated costs,
implementation timelines and funding mechanisms?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
(SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)
(a) and (b) A total of 111 waterways have been declared as National Waterways
(NWs) under the National Waterways Act, 2016. Based on Feasibility Study Reports /
Detailed Project Reports, 32 NWs have been made operational for cargo/passenger
movement. State-wise and year-wise details of operational NWs with lengthare at
Annexure-1.
(c) Details of 20 NWs which will be made operational within next 5 yearare given at
Annexure-2. Estimated cost for their operationalisation is being finalised based on the
infrastructure proposed on these NWs in consultation with the stakeholders/ respective
States and the expenditure shall be met from the budgetarysupport.Annexure-1
State-wise and year-wise details of operational NWs with length
Operational NWs in 2013-14
Operational
Length (in
Sl.No. NW No. Name of NW km) State / UT
Ganga-Bhagirathi-
Hooghly River
System Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
1 NW-1 (Allahabad – Haldia) 1,620 Jharkhand, West Bengal
Brahmaputra River
2 NW-2 (Sadiya-Dhubri) 891 Assam
3 NW-3 West Coast Canal 205 Kerala
NWs made operational in 2016-17
NW-10 Maharashtra
4 Amba River 45
NW-83 Maharashtra
5 Rajpuri Creek 31
Revadanda Creek-
NW-85 Kundalika River Maharashtra
6 System 31
Shastri River - Jaigad
NW-91 Maharashtra
7 Creek System 48
NW-68 Goa
8 Mandovi River 41
NW-111 Goa
9 Zuari River 50
NWs made operational in 2017-18
10 NW-73 Narmada River 226 Gujarat
11 NW-100 Tapi River 436 Gujarat
NWs made operational in 2018-19
Krishna Godavari
12 NW-4 River Systems 82 Andhra Pradesh
Sunderbans
13 NW-97 Waterway 172 West Bengal
NWs made operational in 2019-20
14 NW-16 Barak River 121 Assam15 NW-44 Ichamati River 63 West Bengal
16 NW-94 Sone River 141 Bihar
NWs made operational in 2020-21
West Bengal
17 NW-86 Rupnarayan River 72
NWs made operational in 2021-22
East Coast Canal
and Matai
River/Brahmani-
Kharsua-Dhamra
Rivers/Mahanadi
18 NW-5 Delta Rivers 233 Odisha
19 NW-64 Mahanadi River 98 Odisha
NWs made operational in 2022-23
20 NW-23 BudhaBalanga 56 Odisha
Alappuzha-
Changanassery
21 NW-8 Canal 29 Kerala
Alappuzha-Kottayam
– Athirampuzha
22 NW-9 Canal 40 Kerala
23 NW-14 Baitarni River 48 Odisha
24 NW-31 Dhansiri/Chathe 114 Assam
NWs made operational in 2024-25
NW-48 Jawai-Luni-Rann Of Gujarat
25 Kutch River 34
NW-53 (Kalyan-Thane- Maharashtra
Mumbai Waterway,
Vasai Creek and
26 Ulhas River) 68
NWs made operational in 2025-26
NW-27 Goa
27 Cumberjua River 17
NW-47 West Bengal
28 Jalangi River 84
NW-87 Gujarat
29 Sabarmati River 34NW-57 Assam
30 Kopili River 6
NW-110 Uttar Pradesh
31 Yamuna River 7
NW-40 Uttar Pradesh
32 Ghaghra River 12
Annexure-2
Details of 20 NWs which will be made operational within next 5 year
Sl. National Waterway (Length) State/U.T. Year of
No. operationalization
1 NW-49 : Jhelum River (110 km) Jammu & Kashmir
2 NW-26: Chenab River (51 km) Jammu & Kashmir
3 NW-84: Ravi River (44 km) Jammu & Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh &
2026-27
Punjab
4 NW 51: Kabini River (23.17 km) Karnataka
5 NW 90: Sharavati River (28.67 km) Karnataka
6 NW-14: Baitarni River (48 km) Odisha
7 NW-25: Chapora River (33 km) Goa
8 NW-88: Sal River (14.05 km) Goa
9 NW-4 Extension- Krishna River Telangana & Andhra
(636 km) Pradesh
10 NW-76: Panchagangavali River (23 Karnataka
2027-30
km)
11 NW-22: Birupa–Badi–Genguti– Odisha
Brahmani System (155 km)
12 NW-23: BudhaBalanga River (55.89 Odisha
km)
13 NW-96: Subarnarekha River (311 Jharkhand, West
km) Bengal & Odisha
14 NW-20: Bhawani River (95 km) Tamil Nadu
15 NW-89: Savitri River &Bankot Maharashtra
Creek (45.57 km )
16 NW-13: AVM Canal (11.3 km) Keralam& Tamil Nadu
17 NW-59: Kottayam–Vaikom Canal Keralam
(18.8 km)
18 NW-28:Dabhol Creek–Vashishti MaharashtraRiver (45 km)
19 NW-41: Ghataprabha River (111.76 Karnataka
km)
20 NW-5: Brahmani River- Kharsua& Odisha 2030-31
Mahanadi Delta rivers System (332
km)
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