--- title: "Rivers of freight: India’s National Waterways · SSL" description: "145.5 million tonnes moved on India’s National Waterways in FY2024-25. NW-1 Ganga, NW-2 Brahmaputra, NW-3 Kerala and more are mapped…" url: https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/ canonical: https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/ updated: 2026-11-11 lang: en-IN publisher: Safe & Secure Logistics Private Limited --- Rivers atlas # The Ganga carries freight too. India’s rivers and canals moved a record tonnage last year. Here is where they flow. [WhatsApp our desk](https://wa.me/917506245557?text=Hi%20SSL%2C%20I%20want%20to%20move%20cargo%20by%20waterway.%20From%3A%20___%20To%3A%20___%20Tonnes%3A%20___) [Get a quote](https://safeandsecure.in/ship/quote/) National Waterways 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 16, and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route (dashed). India boundary per Survey of India (state layer: DataMeet, CC BY 4.0). Moving marks are illustrative. - 145.5 MT moved on National Waterways FY2024-25 · +9.34% · PIB - 111 National Waterways declared National Waterways Act, 2016 - 29 operational for cargo up from 24 · PIB - 2,660 km Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route IWAI The rivers ## Six waterways, by length Length (km), as published by IWAI 1. [NW-4 · Krishna](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-4/) 2,890 km 2. [NW-1 · Ganga](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-1/) 1,620 km 3. [NW-2 · Brahmaputra](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-2/) 891 km 4. [NW-5 · Brahmani](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-5/) 588 km 5. [NW-3 · West Coast Canal](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-3/) 205 km 6. [NW-16 · Barak](https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/nw-16/) 121 km Why it matters to our customers ## The river states are where our trucks deliver SSL consignments delivered into the Ganga-Brahmaputra states, FY2025-26 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026) 1. Jharkhand 2,12,010 consignments 2. Uttar Pradesh 1,09,483 consignments 3. Bihar 63,517 consignments 4. West Bengal 10,671 consignments 5. Assam 577 consignments SSL booking register, volumes only. 3,96,258 consignments our road network delivered into Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, Bengal and Assam in a year. It is the same belt NW-1 and NW-2 serve. ## Frequently asked questions **How much cargo moves on India’s National Waterways?** A record 145.5 million tonnes in FY2024-25, up 9.34%; operational waterways rose from 24 to 29 (PIB). Bulk dominates: coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand and fly ash made up over 68%. **How many National Waterways are there?** 111 were declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016. **What is the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route?** Agreed river routes through Bangladesh linking Kolkata with Assam: 2,660 km in all (868 km in India), with 13 ports of call on each side (IWAI). **Does SSL run barges?** No. The waterway leg is arranged by our desk; our trucks carry cargo to and from the river terminals. Sources - [PIB: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, 15 Apr 2025](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2121940) · FY2024-25 - [IWAI: Indo-Bangladesh Protocol](https://iwai.gov.in/indo-bangladesh-protocol-ibp) - [Asian Confluence (IBP route list)](https://www.asianconfluence.org/pdf/1691901670Chapter-5.pdf) - [Wikipedia: List of national waterways in India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_waterways_in_India) - Safe & Secure Logistics booking register (volumes only) · FY2025-26 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026) Bulk to the east? Ask about the river. For coal, steel, cement or project cargo, our desk checks the waterway and our trucks close both ends. [WhatsApp our desk](https://wa.me/917506245557?text=Hi%20SSL%2C%20I%20want%20to%20move%20cargo%20by%20waterway.) [Get a quote](https://safeandsecure.in/ship/quote/) --- Source: https://safeandsecure.in/waterways/ (the HTML page is the record; this markdown twin was generated from it on 2026-11-11). Publisher: Safe & Secure Logistics Private Limited, https://safeandsecure.in/. Figures and their periods: https://safeandsecure.in/facts/