Inland Navigation
Rivers also act as a means of transport. As compared to railways and roadways, waterways are the best alternative as far as pollution is considered. Moreover, waterways are much cheaper than the former two. This is why in the past two decades, there have been significantly huge investments in the development of these waterways by the government. In fact, National Waterways have been developed on the lines of National Highways to ensure smooth and secured travel. The National Waterway 1 is on the river Ganga between Haldia to Prayagraj. The Inland Waterways Authority of India(IWAI) which was constituted in 1986 is responsible for the development and regulation of inland waterways and the National Waterways.
Another significant flagship program of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways is the Sagarmala Project which is a series of projects, approved by the Union government in 2015 to develop the coastline and the inland waterways to boom industrial development.
Role of Rivers in Indian Economy
Since the inception of human civilization, rivers have been a significant part of human lives. Water has been the most precious natural resource since time immemorial. In fact, the earliest known human settlements were started around the river banks, for instance, the Indus valley civilization. The primary reason for these developments was the potential of rivers as a source of livelihood and to generate economic activities around them. Over the period, as human civilizations across the nation began to develop, the dimensions of rivers as a source of the economy also increased. Let’s discuss some spheres where we find the economic importance of rivers.
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