Consider the following statements regarding India’s inland water transport infrastructure:
- National Waterway 1 (NW-1) is the longest navigable inland waterway in the country, extending from Prayagraj to Haldia along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system.
- The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), implemented with technical and financial assistance from the World Bank, is primarily focused on capacity augmentation of the Brahmaputra River (NW-2).
- The West Coast Canal (NW-3) maintains a highly consistent navigable draft year-round, facilitated by the natural topography of estuarine backwaters (Kayals) in Kerala.
Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?
Correct answer: C
Explanation
NW-1 along the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly system from Prayagraj to Haldia is indeed the longest national waterway, so statement 1 is correct. The Jal Marg Vikas Project, backed by the World Bank, develops NW-1 on the Ganga, not the Brahmaputra (NW-2), so statement 2 is wrong. The West Coast Canal (NW-3) runs through Kerala's estuarine backwaters or Kayals, so statement 3 holds.