Waterborne freight transport resumes in Assam after 10 years

GUWAHATI

The Kopili River, India’s National Waterway 57, was operationalised on Saturday (August 2, 2025) with the first-ever cargo trial run, marking the resumption of intrastate waterborne freight transport in Assam after more than a decade.

Equipped with self-loading capacity, cargo vessel MV V.V. Giri carried 300 metric tonnes of cement from a factory in central Assam along the 300-km route on the Kopili and the Brahmaputra River (National Waterway 2), with a voyage time of 12 to 14 hours. Destined for Hatsingimari in western Assam’s South Salmara-Mankachar district, the vessel was flagged off from Chandrapur, about 30 kilometres east of Guwahati.

“This is a watershed moment for inland water transport in Assam and elsewhere in the northeast. With NW57, we have not only revived a lost artery of trade within the state, but also taken a major step towards building an inland water transport system that is economical, efficient, and environmentally sustainable,” Sarbananda Sonowal, the Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, said.

“The Kopili cargo movement is a symbol of the new Assam – connected, empowered, and aligned with India’s growth story,” he said, adding that reviving the waterways drives Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a thriving northeast.

Mr Sonowal said the 1,168 km of operational waterways in Assam spans the Barak (NW16) and Dhansiri (NW31) rivers, apart from the Brahmaputra and Kopili, whose navigable stretch is 46 km long.

“Promotion of inland water transport will not only decongest our roads but also bring economies of scale for the riverine communities in Assam to prosper and secure opportunities,” he said.

Saturday’s trial run replaced 23 truckloads of cement.