India’s First Riverine Lighthouses in NW-2

Why in News?

Recently, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stones for four river lighthouses along the banks of the Brahmaputra River.

• Aim – To modernise inland navigation infrastructure across India’s river systems.
• Location – Along the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
• Implemented by – Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL).
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
• Under the – Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

The river Brahmaputra flows down the centre of the Assam Valley. It receives a number of tributaries like Subansiri, Jia Bharali, Dihing, Burhi Dihing, Disang, Dhansiri and Kopili.

• Will be constructed in –
  • Pandu (Kamrup Metro district)
  • Bogibeel (Dibrugarh district)
  • Silghat (Nagaon district)
  • Biswanath Ghat (Biswanath district)
• Connectivity – These locations lie along National Waterway-2 (NW-2) in the Brahmaputra, an important inland cargo and passenger route.

NW-2 forms the longest navigable inland waterway stretch in India, passing through the heart of Northeast India.

• Technical Features – Height – Around 20 metres
• Solar-powered operation.
• Geographical range – 14 nautical miles
• Luminous range – 8–10 nautical miles
• Designed to assist vessels navigating the river and support night navigation.
• Timeline – Expected to be completed within 24 months after the award of contracts.
• Need – Cargo movement on NW‑2 recorded a 53% surge during FY 2024–25, according to the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
  • It is increasingly used to transport tea, coal and fertilisers in Assam and the Northeast.
• The lighthouses will enable round-the-clock safe navigation and strengthen the logistics ecosystem of Northeast India.
• Address a key limitation of river transport — restricted night navigation — through visual navigation aids and weather observation sensors.  

References

1. PIB | India’s First Riverine Lighthouses
2. DH | India’s First Riverine Lighthouses