Cargo Movement on National Waterways Jumps 50% to 218.24 MT in FY26
India currently has 32 operational National Waterways with a combined navigable length of 5,155 km. Cargo traffic has more than doubled from 108.79 MT in FY2021-22 to 218.24 MT in FY2025-26.
NW-1, comprising the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system, recorded a particularly sharp rise in cargo movement to 84.78 MT in FY2025-26 from 16.38 MT in FY2024-25. Maharashtra’s waterways collectively handled 66.02 MT, while Gujarat and Goa waterways carried 34.81 MT and 6.70 MT, respectively.
Passenger movement on National Waterways also increased to 10.56 crore in FY2025-26 from 7.64 crore in the previous year. Ferry services are currently operational across 23 National Waterways.
Government expenditure on development of National Waterways has also risen substantially over the past five years. Funds utilised increased from Rs 425.43 crore in FY2021-22 to Rs 1,074.48 crore in FY2025-26. The Jal Marg Vikas Project accounted for Rs 616.27 crore of expenditure during FY2025-26.
To expand inland water transport, the government has developed multimodal terminals, floating terminals, community jetties, Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax facilities and undertaken fairway maintenance across various waterways.
Policy measures include the Jalvahak Scheme, which provides a 35% incentive to encourage cargo movement on NW-1, NW-2 and NW-16, and the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, aimed at facilitating private investment in inland waterways infrastructure.
The government is also developing cargo aggregation and multimodal logistics facilities at Varanasi and Sahibganj and has approached more than 140 public sector undertakings to encourage a shift of freight from other transport modes to inland waterways.
Published on:
29 July 2026
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