India’s National Waterways achieved a record cargo traffic of 145.5 million tonnes in the Financial Year 2024-25. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways highlighted a compound annual growth rate of 20.86% in cargo traffic during the last fiscal year. Additionally, traffic movement in FY 2025 showed a 9.34% year-on-year growth compared to FY 2024. Five major commodities—coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand, and fly ash—accounted for over 68% of the total cargo transported on National Waterways.
List of Important Waterways in India:
- National Waterway 1 (NW-1): Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System (1620 km) – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal.
- National Waterway 2 (NW-2): Brahmaputra River (891 km) – Assam.
- National Waterway 3 (NW-3): West Coast Canal (205 km) – Kerala.
- National Waterway 4 (NW-4): Kakinada Canal and Godavari-Krishna River System (1095 km) – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry.
- National Waterway 5 (NW-5): Brahmani-Mahanadi Delta Rivers (623 km) – Odisha, West Bengal.
