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Contents
- The government’s directive to ports to develop master plans for achieving ‘mega port’ status by 2047 prompts a discussion on port challenges and solutions to advance India’s blue economy.
- Explain the role of inland waterways in fostering sustainable transport in India. Identify the challenges hindering their development. Additionally, outline a comprehensive roadmap for future inland waterway development in the country.
12-08-2023
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Answer :
A mega port earns its label through cargo volume, economic value, or spatial extent. These ports drive the ‘blue economy,’ using ocean resources for growth, livelihoods, and ecosystem health. India aims to make all ports mega by 2047. However, significant challenges persist:
- Underutilized Capacity: Despite handling most cargo, ports operate below capacity. For instance, major ports with a 1500 MTPA capacity handled only around 670 MT in 2020-21.
- Infrastructure Issues: Ports grapple with low productivity, extended turnaround and pre-berthing times, and high freight costs.
- Digital Gaps: Absence of an integrated online portal hampers information exchange among stakeholders, as isolated IT solutions lack interaction.
- Logistical Bottlenecks: Inadequate expressway links and high fuel costs hamper hinterland transport efficiency.
- Labour Inefficiencies: Local unskilled labor affects overall productivity and cargo handling.
- Competitiveness Challenges: High taxation and compliance burdens raise operational costs for Indian vessels.
- Investment Shortfalls: Despite incentives, cumulative FDI in maintenance and port operation was only $1.63 billion from 2000 to 2021.
Addressing these issues requires:
- Dredging Sector Openness: Attract international players to maintain port draft depth and cater to larger vessels.
- Sagarmala Program Acceleration: Expedite projects enhancing port connectivity, establishing coastal economic zones (CEZs), and building new ports.
- Cost Reduction Initiatives: Streamline hinterland-to-port goods movement to cut costs.
- Digital Integration: Develop the ‘National Portal for Cargo Facilitation (NPCF)’ to unite stakeholders.
- Technology Adoption: Embrace technologies like big data and AI, learning from successful global ports for efficiency improvements.
- Sector Liberalization: Flexible procedural, operational, and financial measures to enhance competitiveness.
- Collaborative Efforts: Encourage cooperation among terminal operators, ship owners, exporters, and importers to meet sector demands.
In a global context, India must adapt, staying competitive by nurturing flexibility and cohesion across stakeholders to meet evolving challenges.
22-07-2023
Answer :
Inland Water Transport was an important means of trade and communication in ancient India. But, with the development of roadways and railways in the 19th and 20th century, it got sidelined. In recent years, GoI has again started emphasizing on the need of developing Inland Waterways because of its inherent
advantages like fuel efficiency, competitive potential and thus ability to promote economic development
and growth.
Inland Waterways Potential in India: Inland water transport holds great untapped potential as a means for the transportation of goods and passengers. India has a large endowment of rivers, canals, and other waterways. The total navigable length of waterways in India is around 14,850 kilometers.
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Need for improving and Inland waterways and ports: |
- Contribution in trade Only 3.5% of trade in India is done through the mode of Inland waterways, which is 47% in China, 40% in Europe, 44% in Japan and Korea and 35% in Bangladesh.
- Fuel Efficient -> Cost Effective
- Less Polluting: Environment friendly as the emission per unit distance per unit weight is lesser.
- Economic growth and jobs: It will boost the economy and provide more jobs, especially in inland regions which needs desperate boost to economies.
- Reducing Pressure on Road -> less congestion
- Fewer accidents – when compared to any other mode of transport.
- Less Land Acquisition Problems and Less Deforestation: As land capital required in case of water transport is minimal when compared to road and rail transport.
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Challenges faced by Inland Waterways development in the country: |
- Finance: According to Ministry of Shipping, India needs Rs 80,000 crores to develop 20,000 km of inland
- Who will use inland waterways: For e.g., there are not a lot of industries situated along the Ganga River. So, the waterways may not be used a lot.
- Seasonal Variation in Navigable depth
- Most river transport routes are short: River transport routes should run uninterrupted for at least 300 km at a stretch so that desired logistics cost saving might be achieved.
- Dams and Barrages interrupt the water supply: Tussle between states would lead to unviability of some of these projects.
- Environmental Concerns (e.g., how EN Ganges river dolphins are being affected by NW-1)
- Other Concerns -> low transport speeds, limited areas of operation etc.
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Way forward: |
- Increased budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Shipping which can be used for more allocation to inland waterways project.
- Simultaneous focus on development of industries in the inland water ways region to ensure that waterways get used more and more and are economically viable.
- Dams and diversion of water for agriculture can be reduced by focusing on newer dam technologies which limit the amount of water that needs to be stored and promoting efficient utilization of water in agriculture.
- In undertaking this paradigm shift towards inland transport, India should implement the sustainability practices in Europe.
- A consultative, inter-disciplinary approach, as opposed to a techno-centric one, would keep the negative consequences to a minimum.