With the Indian economy getting increasingly integrated and globalised, and infrastructure development being a key area, inland waterways will become critical to trade and growth. The recent National Waterways Act, which has 111 inland rivers and channels as national waterways, is a promising step in that direction. The large-scale development of the solar power sector in India has not only spurred innovations in reduced solar power production costs, but also innovative technologies and production techniques globally. The inland water transport could make an equally strong case for pursuing environmental flows in rivers.
Sinha, Uttam & Sanjay Gupta (2016) Hope Floats for India, The Pioneer. 12 June.
