Ministry Details Bridge Construction Over Brahmaputra River
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, led by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, provided updates on the construction of bridges over the Brahmaputra River, part of National Waterway-2. Five bridges are currently under construction across the river, which spans 891 kilometers from Dhubri to Sadia and was designated National Waterway-2 in September 1988.
Any bridge construction over a National Waterway requires a "No Objection Certificate" (NoC) from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to ensure compliance with essential parameters for horizontal and vertical clearances, crucial for safe navigation. The IWAI regulations specify that the Brahmaputra River stretch from Dhubri to Dibrugarh is classified as a Class-VII waterway, necessitating a minimum horizontal clearance of 100 meters between piers and a minimum vertical clearance of 10 meters. The stretch from Dibrugarh to Sadia is classified as a Class-V waterway, requiring a minimum horizontal clearance of 80 meters and a minimum vertical clearance of 8 meters.
