AP to harness waterways for industrial cargo motion

The mix of an in depth 978-km nationwide waterways and a thriving cement and energy plant sector guarantees to bestow on Andhra Pradesh a singular benefit. The AP Inland Waterways Authority (APIWA) is taking on a slew of initiatives to ease the motion of cargo for main industries within the state.  In response to D Dilip Kumar, Board Chairman, APIWA , the immense potential for logistics growth alongside the state’s waterways may be higher harnessed by result-oriented initiatives.  The APIWA has formulated two such main initiatives for the motion of home and export-import cargo from cement and energy crops by nationwide waterways.  The modalities for these are being labored out.  Presently a significant chunk of this freight is transported by railways. 

Watery speedways

Andhra Pradesh has 57 rivers — small, medium and enormous — with deltas unfold throughout the size and breadth of the state, and a 975-km shoreline.  This intricate community of waterways serves in its place and cheaper mode of transport.  The nationwide waterways in Andhra Pradesh embody the Godavari river-Krishna canal system (NW-4) comprising the Godavari (Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry), Krishna (Wazirabad-Vijayawada), Kakinada canal (Kakinada port-Dowleswaram), Eluru canal (Rajahmundry-Vijayawada), Commamuru canal (Vijayawada-Pedaganjam), and North Buckingham canal (Pedaganjam-Tada); Penna river (NW-79 — Pothireddypalem-Kudithipalem/ Bay of Bengal); and the Tungabhadra river (NW-104 — Okay Singavaram-Joharapuram).  The connectivity may be additional enhanced to hyperlink the cluster of cement factories at Muktyala and Jaggaiahpet with Kakinada and Machilipatnam ports by the Krishna river (NW-4) and Bandar canal. Connectivity for the cement factories and energy crops within the Kadapa area can even be augmented.  There may be potential for transport of almost 14 million tonnes every year cargo (coal, cement, gypsum and bauxite) by linking Krishnapatnam port with the inland water transport system alongside the Penna river (NW-79).  Different vital initiatives on the anvil embody roll-on, roll-off or RoRo ferry companies at Muktyala and Ibrahimpatnam on the Krishna river and Seethanagaram on the Godavari river (NW-4), and water-bound tourism circuits on a bunch of rivers and different remoted waterbodies.  The feasibility research for these initiatives are at a complicated stage. Andhra Pradesh at the moment strikes about 8 million tonnes every year cargo by inland water transport.

Untapped potential

India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways, together with rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks.  The nation at the moment strikes about 55 million tonnes every year cargo by inland waterways — a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of transport. 
The operations are, nonetheless, restricted to a couple stretches on the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in Mumbai, and the deltaic areas of the Godavari-Krishna rivers.