A New Flow: Assam's Kopili River Restarts Waterborne Cargo

In a landmark move for Assam’s river-based logistics, National Waterway-57 (Kopili River) has been operationalised, reviving intra-state waterborne freight transport after more than a decade.

The maiden cargo trial run was conducted on vessel MV VV Giri, which transported 300 tonnes of cement from M/s Star Cement, covering a 300-km route from Govardhan Bridge (Chandrapur, Kamrup) to Hatsingimari (South Salmara) via the Kopili (NW-57) and Brahmaputra (NW-2) rivers. The journey took approximately 12–14 hours.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the development a “watershed moment” for inland water transport in the Northeast, underlining its potential to transform regional logistics.

With the activation of NW-57, Assam now boasts over 1,168 km of operational waterways, including Brahmaputra (NW-2), Barak (NW-16), and Dhansiri (NW-31). This milestone supports the goals of Maritime India Vision 2030 and PM Gati Shakti, which seek to develop sustainable, multimodal logistics corridors.

The trial run effectively replaced 23 truckloads of cargo, showcasing the economic efficiency and environmental benefits of shifting freight movement to inland waterways.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.