Narmada River - Navigation Along The River

Navigation Along The River

The river is presently partially navigable in the estuary reach around Bharuch but the river has never been a transport artery. The idea for inland navigation emanated with NWDT giving its award for the two main dams – the Sardar Sarovar in Gujarat 180 kilometres (110 mi) from the coast and the Narmada Sagar in Madhaya Pradesh – the two dams separated by a river distance of about 900 kilometres (560 mi), and the plans to build two other dams in between on the main stem of the river. A feasibility study has been carried out for navigating the Narmada from the sea up to Hoshangabad – a distance of 639 kilometres (397 mi) – or even up to Jabalpur a further distance of309 kilometres (192 mi), upstream. The main challenge in these studies is the arrangements to be planned to negotiate the Maheswar, Indira Sagar, Omkareswar, and Sardar Sarovar projects. As such, the navigation option is still open and probably can only be pursued after all the above dams are completed and other implications examined. As Varghese states, “The notion of seeing barge–trains plying the river up to Hoshangabad or Jabalpur is not far–fetched. They could become major inland ports”