News Brief
Intra-State River-Based Trade Revived In Assam After Over A Decade As National Waterway‑57 On Kopili River Becomes Operational
MV VV Giri Revives Intra State Cargo Movement in Assam with Trial Run since 2014
National Waterway‑57 (NW‑57) on the River Kopili in Assam was operationalised on Saturday (2 August) with the first cargo trial run in over a decade.
The 300 tonne shipment of cement, transported by the vessel MV VV Giri from Govardhan Bridge in Chandrapur (Kamrup) to Hatsingimari in South Samara, marks the revival of intra-state waterborne freight transport in Assam after more than a decade.
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, hailed the event as a turning point.
“This is a watershed moment for Assam. With the operationalisation of NW‑57 on River Kopili, we are not only reviving a lost artery of trade within the state, but also taking a major step towards building an inland water transport system that is economical, efficient, and environmentally sustainable,” he said.
With this, more than 1,168 km of waterways in Assam have now become operational, spanning the Brahmaputra (NW‑2), Barak (NW‑16), Dhansiri (NW‑31), and now Kopili (NW‑57).
Sonowal emphasised the wider benefits, “By shifting freight movement from road to waterways, we reduce emissions, ease road congestion, and lower logistics costs — all while making better use of our natural resources. Today’s trial run replaces roughly 23 truckloads of cement — that’s the power and potential of inland water transport.”
