The Andhra Pradesh Inland Waterways Authority (APIWA) has formulated two major projects for the movement of domestic and export-import cargo of cement and power plants through National Waterways to realise their potential and contribute to the Maritime India Vision- 2030. Also on the anvil is the development of water-bound tourism projects along the 978-km National Waterways, APIWA Board Chairman D. Dilip Kumar has said.
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Addressing the media on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ meeting jointly organised by the APIWA and Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (FAPCCI) here on December 27 (Wednesday), Mr. Dilip Kumar said the projects that would be off the block were connectivity to the cluster of cement factories at Muktyala and Jaggaiahpet with Kakinada and Machilipatnam ports through the Krishna River (NW-4) and Bandar Canal, and connectivity for the cement factories and the power plants in Kadapa region, which has Inland Water Transport (IWT) potential of nearly 14 Million Tonnes Per Annum (coal, cement, gypsum and bauxite) with Krishnapatnam port through the Penna River (NW-79).
Other important projects include roll-on-roll-off services at Muktyala and Ibrahimpatnam on the Krishna River and Seethanagaram on the Godavari River (NW-4) and some water-bound tourism circuits on rivers and isolated water bodies. The feasibility studies for the above projects are in advanced stages, he said.
Cheap mode of transport
APIWA CEO S.V.K. Reddy said Andhra Pradesh has a large network of waterways that serve as an alternate and cheaper mode of transport. It has 57 small, medium and large rivers with deltas spread over the length and breadth of the State and a vast coastline of 975 km.
The National Waterway in Andhra Pradesh include the Godavari River- Krishna Canal system (NW-4) comprising the Godavari (Bhadrachalam - Rajahmundry), the Krishna (Wazirabad - Vijayawada), Kakinada Canal (Kakinada port - Dowleswaram), Eluru Canal (Rajahmundry-Vijayawada), Commamuru Canal (Vijayawada-Pedaganjam) and North Buckingham Canal (Pedaganjam-Tada), Penna River (Pothireddypalem - Kudithipalem / Bay of Bengal) (NW-79) and the Tungabhadra River (K.Singavaram - Joharapuram) (NW-104).