IWAI to drop 20 unviable waterway projects out of 106

Twenty of the 106 initially identified waterway projects have been found to be unviable, and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will be bidding out works on seven 'Jalmargs' by November, a senior official said today.
"Twenty projects have been found to be unviable in the feasibility studies and we will be dropping those. These were found unviable due to lack of cargo traffic potential and water scarcity," IWAI vice chairman Pravir Pandey told reporters here.
He said the 106 projects were identified based on proposals sent by the state governments and detailed studies were conducted to assess various aspects, with the economic rate of return being the most important.

Some of the unviable projects include those put forth by hilly states like Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, and also some by states like Tamil Nadu which lack perennial availability of water in the river.
It can be noted that there is an increased thrust on leveraging the opportunity presented by rivers and creeks as an ecofriendly, cheap and safe alternative for movement of goods around the country.
Pandey said over 80 projects are still feasible, detailed project reports have been made on 24 of them of which seven will be bidded out by November this year.

These seven rivers include the Goa's Zuari and Mandvi, Gandak and Sunderban in West Bengal, and Barak in Assam, he said, adding that the total investments will be Rs 96 crore.

The works to be awarded will include dredging, berths and other civil amenities, he said. The exact length of these seven projects was not immediately shared.
The overall target of the NCR-headquartered authority is to double the overall length of waterways or Jalmargs to 14,000 km from the present 7,000 km in the medium term, he said.
The IWAI is also exploring starting at least two projects in Maharashtra -- on the Amba river and the Ulhas Creek on the outskirts of the financial capital -- and has signed an agreement with the Maharashtra Maritime Board for development of the same.

DPRs have been finished on these two and further work will start after the monsoon, he said.