Indian Rivers and Waterways

The cities found in the Indus and Saraswati river valleys are collectively known as the Harappan Civilization, named after the first city discovered, Harappa.

The Ganges and Indus rivers are vital to the Indian subcontinent because they provide the necessary water for irrigation, which sustains large-scale agriculture.

The Saraswati River (often identified with the Ghaggar-Hakra system) was a major river in the Indus Valley Civilization. It flowed through the region and reached the Arabian Sea, facilitating trade and cultural exchange with civilizations like Mesopotamia.

The Indus and Ganges rivers are the two major river systems of northern India. They provided fertile soil and water, which supported the rise of early civilizations and major empires in ancient India.

India has approximately 14,000 km of inland waterways including rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks. The National Waterways Authority of India maintains these waterways for transportation and commerce.

Haldia port or Calcutta Port is a major seaport has been built at the meeting place of the Haldi River and Hooghly river in the state of West Bengal. The port's main imports are petroleum, chemicals, and parts. Exports include coal, iron ore, and steel. Port of Kolkata is also a base of the Indian Coast Guard.

1.  India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks.
2.  The total navigable length is 14,500 km (9,000 mi), out of which about 5,200 km (3,200 mi) of river and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) of canal can be used by mechanized crafts.
3.  About 44 million tonnes (49,000,000 short tons) of cargo are moved annually through these waterways using mechanized vessels and country boats. 
4.  Inland waterways consist of the Ganges-Bhagirathi-Hooghly rivers, the Brahmaputra, the Barak river, the rivers in Goa, the backwaters in Kerala, inland waters in Mumbai and the deltaic regions of the Godavari-Krishna rivers.

National Waterway 1 or NW1 will start from Allahabad to Haldia with a distance of 1620 km. The NW 1 run through the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly river system with having fixed terminals at Haldia, Farrakka and Patna and floating terminals at most of the riverside cities like Kolkata,Bhagalpur,Varanasi and Allahabad

The National Waterway 1 or NW-1 or Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system is located in India and runs from Haldia (Sagar) to Prayagraj across the Ganges, Bhagirathi, and Hooghly river systems. It is 1,620 km (1,010 mi) long, making it the longest waterway in India. It is of prime importance amongst all the national waterways considering its locational advantages. 

Kolkata is an inland riverine port. This port serves a very large and rich hinterland of Ganga- Brahmaputra basin. Being a tidal port, it requires constant dredging of Hoogly. 

Kolkata port is located on the banks of the river Hooghly. It handles diversified commodities, coming from south-east Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand. Kolkata port was established by the British East India Company after the company received trading rights from the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Marmagao port in Goa is connected to the hinterland through two important rivers - the Zuari and Mandovi. These rivers provide navigation access to the interior regions of Goa.

Backwaters are famous in Kerala (especially Alappuzha), Buckingham Canal runs along the coast of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and Cumbarjua Canal is located in Goa connecting two estuaries.

• The Brahmaputra is navigable for most of its length in India. The government of India realized its immense navigational potential and declared it as the National Waterway-2 in 1988 between Sadiya and Dhubri.
• Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) is responsible for maintaining River Brahmaputra’s navigational channel with the required draft. The river carries about 735 million metric tons of suspended sediment loads annually hence continuous maintenance and dredging are required to keep the channel navigable.