The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has inked two major agreements that promise to transform urban mobility in Assam’s biggest cities and reshape cross-border logistics across the Northeast.
The memoranda of understanding (MoUs) — signed with the Government of Assam and state-owned Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (APL) — mark a pivotal step toward sustainable connectivity through water metros and enhanced inland water transport.
The details of the two MoUs, signed during the India Maritime Week in Mumbai in October, were disclosed at Guwahati’s Maritime Skill Development Centre (MSDC) on Friday during a review meeting of ongoing inland waterway projects chaired by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.
Under the MoU with the Assam government, IWAI will support the development of an urban water transport (UWT) system — or water metro — for Tezpur, Guwahati, and Dibrugarh. The ambitious project aims to integrate water-based mobility along the Brahmaputra with existing road, rail, and bus networks to create a seamless multimodal transport ecosystem.
Sonowal said, “We remain firmly anchored in our intent to develop the inland waterways ecosystem in the region for optimum utilisation and convert possibilities into tangible opportunities that drive growth, trade, and sustainability.”
The proposed water metro initiative includes the development of fairways, navigation aids, and passenger terminals, supported by electric-hybrid passenger boats. A feasibility study is currently underway by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) in consultation with the state government. The tentative project cost is estimated at ₹1,000 crore, excluding land costs.
If approved, Assam’s water metro would become India’s most expansive rollout of the model. Kerala’s Kochi Water Metro, operational since 2023 and aligned with the Kochi Metro Rail system, has already carried more than 50 lakh passengers.
Boosting River Logistics
The second MoU, between IWAI and APL, focuses on transporting chemicals such as methanol and formalin via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR) and the national waterways network.
Exports will be routed through IWAI jetties at Bogibeel, Pandu, and Jogighopa to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, while domestic supply chains will be strengthened through National Waterway-1 (the Allahabad-Haldia stretch of the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly system) and National Waterway-2 (the Brahmaputra from Sadiya to Dhubri).
APL currently produces 1.98 lakh metric tonnes of methanol and 1.15 lakh metric tonnes of formalin annually.
The new arrangement, supported by a ₹400 crore investment, will enable bulk, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly transportation.
IWAI will offer operational and technical support, including navigation assistance, firefighting systems, and improved terminal facilities. It will also assist APL in developing 10 flat-bottom tanker barges with capacities ranging between 500 and 1,000 metric tonnes.
“By enhancing river connectivity, tourism and trade corridors, we are unlocking new economic opportunities and integrating the region more closely with national and international markets,” Sonowal added.
The review meeting at MSDC discussed 15 primary projects and 10 Central Sector Scheme (CSS) projects funded by the Central Government across the Northeast — including three in Mizoram, two each in Nagaland and Tripura, and one each in Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur.
Two new CSS projects, one in Arunachal Pradesh and another in Assam, were also taken up.
A concept study for an all-weather approach road at Bogibeel to ensure smooth passage to the cargo-cum-tourist terminal was also approved during the meeting.
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