IWT enables smooth cargo movement in Northeast: Sonowal

The expansion of India's inland waterways, particularly in the Northeast, is set to boost petroleum supply chains and reinforce trade routes connecting Assam with Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, according to Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

Speaking at the North East Oil & Gas Conclave 2025, the Union Minister announced that the government has undertaken ₹1,000 crore worth inland waterway projects in the Northeast over the last two years, the region’s role in the petroleum supply chain and export routes to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.

The Minister notes that the renewed focus on Inland Water Transport (IWT) has been instrumental in enabling smooth and swift cargo movement, reducing logistics costs, and providing a reliable multimodal network across the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems for industrial and petroleum cargo.

Terminals and jetties in Assam, including Pandu, Jogighopa, Dhubri, Bogibeel, Karimganj, and Badarpur, are now critical hubs for cross-border trade, facilitating exports and cutting transit distance, travel time, and fuel consumption compared to traditional road transport.

Sonowal pointed to the transport of over-dimensional cargo (ODC) to the Numaligarh Refinery for its expansion as a key demonstration of the waterways' operational efficiency and scalability as a long-term logistics solution.

Year-round navigation is now being ensured through extensive dredging and fairway maintenance, allowing for the uninterrupted movement of heavy cargo essential for refinery, exploration, and downstream industries.

The infrastructure push includes the development of permanent cargo terminals, tourist jetties, and crucial maintenance facilities, such as a ₹239 crore ship repair facility at Pandu. This facility is expected to dramatically reduce costs for river vessels, which currently must travel to Kolkata via Bangladesh for repairs.

Furthermore, a Regional Centre of Excellence in Dibrugarh, costing ₹188 crore, is being established to train nearly 5,000 students in maritime skills and logistics operations, securing a future-ready workforce for the sector.

Highlighting the national context, the Minister revealed the sector’s unprecedented growth: operational waterways have surged by 767%, cargo volume has grown by 635%, and investment has increased by 233%.

Cargo movement on national waterways reached an all-time high of 146 million tonnes last year, a massive jump from just 18 million tonnes previously. This momentum was further boosted during India Maritime Week 2025, where the Inland Waterways Authority of India signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹40,000 crore to enhance waterborne logistics.

Sonowal further added that Inland Waterways are central to India’s Act East Policy and the goal of building a future-ready logistics ecosystem, with 76 national waterways projected to be operational by 2027.

He said, “Our efforts are aimed at reducing logistics costs, boosting trade, and creating new employment and industrial opportunities. The Northeast is ready to lead India into a new era of connectivity, sustainability and prosperity”.