Inland Waterway Transportation

NA40005

Prof. Mainak Chakraborty

Assistant Professor
Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

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Contents

❑ Chapter 1: Introduction to Inland Water Transportation

❑ Chapter 2: Port and Harbour Infrastructure

❑ Chapter 3: Design of Breakwater

❑ Chapter 4: Vessel Type and Sizes

❑ Chapter 5: Hydrodynamics of Ship-generated waves

❑ Chapter 6: Design of Canals and Diversion Headworks

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Evaluation Overview

❑ Mid Semester Examination: 30 marks

❑ End Semester Examination: 50 marks

❑ Class Test: 15 marks

❑ Attendance: 5 marks

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Introduction

❑ Water Transportation is concerned with the

conveyance of people and goods in vehicles
that float in water.

❑ Rivers and seas provided primitive man with his

first facility for the mass transportation of goods

❑ Waterways have great historical importance in

the growth and development of civilizations.

❑ Waterways can be broadly classified as:

❖ Oceanic Waterways
❖ Inland Waterways

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Scope of Water Transportation
Oceanic waters are concerned with transporting
heavy-duty goods, cargo, oils, and people,
primarily across oceans that connect different
continents.

Inland waterways are mainly concerned with

transportation through rivers, canals, lakes,
backwaters and creeks within the mainland.

River Transportation has gained popularity in

India since 1855.

India is blessed with a great network of inland

waterways covering a total navigable length of
14,500 km, out of which 5200 km of rivers and
4000 km of canals could be used by mechanized
crafts.
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River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually
freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea,
lake, or another river. In some cases, a river
may flow into the ground or dry up completely
before reaching another body of water.

Rivers are essential components of the

Earth's hydrological cycle, carrying water
from precipitation over land via surface runoff
and other sources like groundwater recharge
and melting glaciers.

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River

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Canal

A canal is a man-made waterway constructed

to allow the passage of boats or ships,
convey water for irrigation, supply water for
human consumption, or serve as a drainage
system. Canals are engineered for various
purposes and often play a crucial role in
transportation, agriculture, and water
management. Canals carry free surface flow
under atmospheric pressure.

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Lake
A lake is a large, naturally occurring
body of standing water, typically found in
a basin surrounded by land. Lakes can
vary greatly in size, depth, and water
composition and can be freshwater or
saline. They play a critical role in the
environment, providing habitats for
wildlife, sources of water for human use,
and areas for recreation.

Lakes are formed through various

geological processes, including tectonic
activity, glacial activity, volcanic activity,
and river or wind action. Some lakes are
also formed by human activities, such as
dam construction.

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Backwater
Backwater refers to a part of a river or other body of water that is out of
the main current, often characterized by stagnant or slow-moving water.
This term is also commonly used to describe a coastal lagoon or an
estuarine area where the water is calm and somewhat isolated from the
main flow of the river or sea. Backwaters can become areas where
sediments accumulate, potentially forming wetlands or marshes.

Backwaters are often utilized for fishing, agriculture (due to fertile

sediment deposits), and recreation. In some regions, they are significant
for local livelihoods and tourism.

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Creek
The term "creek" can describe a wide range of watercourses, but it
typically refers to those that are not as large or deep as rivers. A creek is
a small, natural stream of water, often a tributary to a river flowing
through a defined channel. Creeks can vary in size from tiny rivulets to
larger streams that are significant in their own right. Creeks are generally
smaller than rivers and streams.

Creeks have flowing water, which can vary from a gentle trickle to a more
robust current, depending on the source and season Creeks often
originate from springs, snowmelt, or runoff from rainfall. They can also be
fed by other smaller water bodies

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Challenges in Water Transportation
❑ Due to very little investment made so far on the development of
waterways compared to other countries globally and the road and rail
modes in India, the IWT mode has remained underdeveloped and its
share in overall internal cargo transport remains awfully low.

❑ The IWT sector presently has a meagre modal share of 0.4 per cent in
India as compared to 42 per cent in the Netherlands, 8.7 per cent in
China, and over 8 per cent in the USA. This is partly because of the
inability to shift cargo between modes of transport without disruption.

❑ The seasonality of water flows in many of the monsoon-fed river

systems poses the most formidable hurdle, particularly for moving
around high-capacity barges. It may require extensive dredging
besides the construction of barrages to hold part of the surplus
monsoon water for release during the lean season to maintain the
minimum water depth and flow needed for navigation
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Challenges in Water Transportation

❑ Higher water salinity, especially in the coastal regions and estuaries,

the constant inflow of silt in the rivers can also be problematic.

❑ Besides, the water transport projects must have adequate and

assured two-way commodity traffic to be viable. Such traffic, notably
in bulk goods like coal, minerals, food grain, and fertilizer, is usually
unidirectional, requiring the vessels to return empty or under-loaded.
This affects the profitability of these ventures.

❑ These problems must be addressed, and infrastructure development

and adequate research may resolve them.

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Development of Water Transportation

To promote Inland Water Transport (IWT) in the country, 111 waterways

(including 5 existing and 106 new) have been declared as National
Waterways (NWs) under the National Waterways Act, 2016, which
came into effect on 12th April 2016.

Out of 5600 km of waterways for navigation, 4382 km of inland

waterways have been declared National Waterways (NWs).

Based on the outcome of techno-economic feasibility and Detailed

Project Reports (DPRs) of NWs, 25 NWs have been found viable by the
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for cargo/ passenger
movement.

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Development of Water Transportation

The development and regulations of waterways which are not

declared as NWs remain under the domain of the respective state
governments.

To develop any waterway as NW, it must be declared as a National

Waterway by an Act of Parliament.

Criteria for declaration of a National Waterway

❑ It should possess the capability of navigation by mechanically

propelled vessels of minimum 300 tonnes (DWT) capacity (45m x
8m x1.2m);

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Development of Water Transportation
❑ It should have a fairway of a minimum 40m wide channel with 1.4m
depth in the case of rivers and a minimum 30m wide channel with
1.8m depth in the case of canals. An exception may be given in the
case of irrigation-cum-navigation canals based on the request of the
concerned State Government in order to safeguard the interest of
irrigation

❑ It should be a continuous stretch of a minimum of 50 km; the only

exception to be made to waterway length is for urban
conglomerations and intra-port traffic.

❑ It should pass through and serve the interest of more than one State
or connect a vast and prosperous hinterland and major port, or
either pass through or connect a strategic region where
development of navigations is considered necessary to provide
logistic support for economic development or national security or
connect place not served by any other mode of transport.
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Existing National Inland Waterways

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Existing National Inland Waterways

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Advantages of Water Transportation

The IWT can be operated with less fuel, leading to the operation of a
cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of transport, especially for
bulk goods, hazardous goods, and over-dimensional cargo.

It also reduces time, cost of transportation of goods and cargo,

congestion, and highway accidents. They are expected to help create
seamless interconnectivity connecting hinterlands along navigable river
coasts and coastal routes. This is a fundamental alteration in the
country’s logistics scenario.

The IWT will play a pivotal role in connecting the north-eastern states to
the mainland.

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Advantages of Water Transportation
The major advantages of Inland Waterway Transport are:

❑ Naturally built infrastructure with only capital investment for

improvement and upgradation

❑ Waterways can decongest roads, including highways.

❑ Higher load-carrying capacity for bulky and heavy commodities.

❑ It consumes less fuel and has a lower carbon footprint, providing an

eco-friendly mode of transport.

❑ Easiest and Cheapest mode of Transport.

❑ Waterways do not involve challenges associated with land

acquisition.
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Advantages of Water Transportation

❑ Waterways promote the development of industry and commerce and

the expansion of trade.

❑ Development of agriculture

❑ Development of economic progress and international contact.

❑ Promote enhanced mobility and tourism.

❑ Assistance in the problem of national defense.

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Disadvantages of Water Transportation
The major disadvantages are listed below:

❑ Inland waterways have low transport speed, thus not suitable where
time is important.

❑ It also has a limited area of operation, depending on the infrastructural

premises and depth of the waterways.

❑ Better position fixing and obstruction detection systems are required to

avoid a surface collision.

❑ There are also very few cases where the IWT can offer door-to-door
cargo transport.

❑ Operational disruptions due to weather (strong winds, storms and

cyclones) are also a major issue and cause a great loss of life,
resources and infrastructure.
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Disadvantages of Water Transportation
❑ The channel draft of the national waterways is not uniform throughout the
year, as is required. Some of these rivers are seasonal and do not offer
navigability throughout the year.

❑ The construction of inland waterways and implementation of the national

waterways network is a big challenge.

❑ Vessel oil spillage, engine noise, and fumes hinder the natural ecosystem
and marine life.

❑ Bank erosion and loss of coastal infrastructure due to ship-induced

waves.

❑ Waterways are mainly operational during daytime as visibility is an issue

during night.

❑ Local hindrances from fishermen and coastal communities.

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Quick Questions

❑ What is the difference between a river and a canal?

❑ What are the major challenges in inland water transportation?

❑ How many existing National Waterways are there, and what are
they?

❑ How many new NWs are declared, and out of which, how many are
feasible for the transportation of mechanized crafts?

❑ What are the major benefits of Inland Water Transportation?

❑ What are the major disadvantages of IWT?

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