Transport in India - 2

Water Transport in India

Water transport is one of the most energy-efficient, low-cost and environment-friendly modes of surface transportation. It is particularly suitable for moving bulk and heavy goods over long distances because of the high carrying capacity of vessels and relatively low frictional resistance of water compared with land routes.

Types of Water Transport

• Inland waterways - rivers, canals, backwaters and lakes used for navigation within the country.
• Oceanic waterways - coastal and international sea routes used for maritime trade and passenger movement.

Inland Waterways

The total length of navigable waterways in India includes rivers, canals, backwaters and other inland water bodies that can be used for transport. India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways, of which about 3,700 km are navigable by mechanised boats. Inland waterways currently carry a small proportion of the country's total traffic - roughly 1% - though they present large potential for expansion where dredging, modern terminals and vessels are developed.

Inland Waterways Authority

To plan, develop, maintain and regulate national inland waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority was set up in 1986. The Authority is responsible for declaring and developing waterways for navigation and for coordinating their use and safety.

• The Authority has declared certain stretches as National Waterways, to be given priority for development and investment.

National Waterways of India

• NW-1: Allahabad (now Prayagraj) to Haldia - 1,620 km.
• NW-2: Sadiya to Dhubri (on the Brahmaputra river) - 891 km.
• NW-3: Kottapuram-Kollam stretch of the West Coast Canal, Champakkara Canal and Udyogamandal Canal - 205 km.
• NW-4: Kakinada to Puducherry stretch of canals and the Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam-Rajahmundry stretch of the River Godavari and Wazirabad-Vijayawada stretch of the River Krishna - 1,095 km.

Ports in India

Ports are the primary interface for international trade. The national authority classifies ports into three broad categories: major, intermediate and minor. India has about 190 ports in total; of these, 12 are designated as major ports while the remainder are intermediate or minor.

• Most major ports are administered by respective Port Trusts.
• Some new ports may be administered under special company structures; for example, the newly developed Ennore port is administered by Ennore Port Ltd.

Salient Features of Important Indian Ports

Below are brief notes on several major Indian ports and their significance.

• Kolkata Port (including Haldia): A riverine port located on the banks of the Hooghly about 128 km upstream from the Bay of Bengal. Haldia was developed because excessive silting at Kolkata restricted the entry of large marine vessels.
• Paradip Port: Located on the Odisha coast along the Bay of Bengal; handles imports and exports of bulk commodities including iron ore and raw materials; serves large mineral and industrial hinterlands.
• Visakhapatnam Port: One of the deepest ports on the east coast (Andhra Pradesh); it handles large bulk cargoes and serves nearby steel plants such as Bhilai and Rourkela indirectly through hinterland connectivity.
• Tuticorin Port (Thoothukudi): Has an artificial deep-sea harbour; trade in minerals, salt and other goods historically linked to the Pandya kingdom area.
• Cochin Port: A natural harbour on the Kerala coast; important for exports of tea, coffee and spices and the import of petroleum and fertilisers.
• New Mangalore Port: Known as the gateway of Karnataka; handles exports such as iron ore from the Kudremukh area.
• Marmagao Port: Located in Goa; has a naval base and is a leading port for iron-ore exports.

• Mumbai Port: A natural harbour and among India's busiest ports on the west coast. A new major container port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), was developed nearby to handle container traffic.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port: Rapidly developed container port near Mumbai; noted among fast-growing ports in the region.
• Kandla Port: Often described as an 'offspring of partition' because it was developed after 1947 to substitute for the loss of Karachi; a tidal port and important free trade zone located in the Rann of Kachchh.

Air Transport

Air transport is the fastest means of moving passengers and high-value, time-sensitive goods. Civil aviation in India began early in the 20th century: a short airmail service was operated in 1911 between Allahabad and Naini over a distance of about 10 km. The sector's larger expansion occurred in the post-independence period with the development of regular commercial services, airports and regulatory institutions.

Airport Authority of India

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is responsible for the development, operation and maintenance of civil aviation infrastructure and for providing safe and efficient air traffic and aeronautical communication services in Indian airspace. The Authority manages many airports across the country.

• The Authority manages around 126 airports, including 12 designated international airports (listed below).
• After nationalisation in 1953, private airline companies were consolidated into two corporations: Air India for international services and Indian Airlines for domestic services. Over time the domestic airline has been marketed simply as Indian in certain contexts.
• Pawan Hans Ltd provides helicopter services for the oil sector, hill stations and remote locations.
• Regional and private carriers also operate scheduled services; examples from recent decades include Jet Airways and other private airlines.
• The Civil Aviation Centre at Fursatganj near Allahabad provides ground training and other aviation-related training facilities.

There are 12 International Airports in India

• Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
• Calicut International Airport, Kozhikode
• Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
• Chennai International Airport, Chennai
• HAL Airport, Bangalore
• Goa International Airport (Vasco da Gama), Goa
• Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati
• Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
• Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
• Raja Sansi International Airport, Amritsar
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad
• Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram

Pipeline Transport

Pipelines are a specialised and highly efficient mode for the continuous transportation of liquids and gases over long distances. Solids can also be conveyed through pipelines after converting them into a pumpable slurry. Pipelines are widely used for crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and water supplies.

Merits

• Pipelines can be routed through difficult or inaccessible terrain, including under water or across forests and mountains, where other surface transport is impractical.
• Once laid, pipelines have low operational and maintenance costs compared with alternatives such as road or rail for the same commodity and throughput.
• Pipelines provide continuous and relatively secure movement of fluids and gases with predictable transit times and reduced handling losses.

Demerits

• Leak detection, repair and maintenance can be challenging and costly, especially in remote areas.
• Safety and security concerns arise from the impact of breaches, sabotage or accidental damage; environmental consequences of leaks can be severe.
• High initial capital cost and long gestation period for construction.

Notable Pipelines in India

Asia's first cross-country pipeline covering a distance of 1,157 km was constructed by Oil India Ltd. from the Naharkatiya oilfields in Assam to the Barauni refinery in Bihar. This pipeline was later extended up to Kanpur in 1966.

Other important pipelines in the country include the following:

• Ankleshwar-Koyali
• Mumbai High-Koyali
• Hajira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur
• Salaya-Mathura
• Numaligarh-Siliguri
• Paradip-Haldia-Barauni
• Haldia-Barauni
• Mathura-Delhi
• Panipat-Ambala-Jalandhar Pipeline (PAJPL)
• Panipat-Delhi Pipeline (PDPL)
• Panipat-Bhatinda Pipeline

Summary

India's transport network includes water, air and pipeline modes that serve complementary roles. Inland and oceanic waterways offer cost-effective bulk movement and international trade access through ports. Air transport provides speed for passengers and high-value goods, supported by a network of airports and a regulatory authority. Pipelines supply continuous, efficient movement of fluids and gases, forming critical energy infrastructure. Continued development of each mode-through investment in ports, waterways, airports and pipeline safety-supports national economic growth and connectivity.