Centre Circulates Draft National Water Metro Policy for Inter-Ministerial Consultation Ahead of National Rollout in 18 Cities
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📌 Summary:
- Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal chaired a review on nationwide rollout of Water Metro services
- Centre has advanced plans for Water Metro in 18 cities; Phase I includes Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj; Phase II includes Tezpur and Dibrugarh (Assam)
- Draft National Water Metro Policy, 2026 has been circulated for inter-ministerial consultations — first formal national framework for urban water-transport
- Building on success/lessons of the Kochi Water Metro, the model scales water-based urban mobility to cities with navigable waterways
- Cost rationale: low capital intensity (uses existing waterways with minimal civil infra); faster construction; lower land needs; reduced O&M costs via electric/hybrid ferries — viable, eco-friendly mode
- Criteria may be relaxed where projects significantly reduce road congestion, improve connectivity to remote/water-locked areas, or enhance flood/disruption resilience
- Ecosystem approach: vessels, pontoons, jetties, bunkering & charging infrastructure, terminals, passenger amenities, navigational aids
- Funding models considered: joint Centre-State; fully State-funded; PPP; fully Centre-funded
- Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) entrusted Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) on 25 February 2025 with feasibility studies for the 18 cities
🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Infrastructure & sustainable urban transport; inland water transport as low-carbon alternative; multi-modal urban mobility; PPP and Centre-State financing models; relevance to Sagarmala and Maritime Vision 2030
📝 Prelims Facts:
- MoPSW = Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
- IWAI = Inland Waterways Authority of India (statutory body, 1986)
- KMRL = Kochi Metro Rail Limited; tasked with feasibility studies for 18 cities (25 Feb 2025)
- Kochi Water Metro = world''s first integrated water metro system (launched 2023 in Kerala)
- Phase I cities: Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Prayagraj
- Phase II Assam cities: Tezpur, Dibrugarh
- Total cities under plan: 18
🔑 Key Term: Water Metro — integrated, electric/hybrid battery-powered ferry network operating as a structured urban public-transit system on inland waterways with regular schedules, fixed routes, modern terminals and seamless multi-modal integration; first implemented in Kochi (2023)
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