How many National Waterways does India have at present?
- A.101
- B.106
- C.111
- D.121
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is 111. India has declared 111 National Waterways to promote shipping and navigation, and their combined length comes to 20,187 km spread over 23 States and 4 Union Territories. Of this set, 32 waterways are operational at present, which is why the declared count and the working count are often confused in examinations. Option A, 101, is wrong because no such figure is used for the waterways network. Option B, 106, is wrong for the same reason, and it is a number aspirants sometimes recall from other infrastructure lists rather than from the waterways count. Option D, 121, is wrong because it overstates the declared total. The safe way to remember the set is as a trio: 111 declared waterways, 20,187 km of length and 32 operational stretches, with cargo on them rising to 218 MMT in 2025-26.
Read the full article: India Builds Safer Navigation on 111 National Waterways
Practice Questions
India's first riverine lighthouses are being set up on which river?
- A.Ganga, National Waterway-1
- B.Brahmaputra, National Waterway-2
- C.West Coast Canal, National Waterway-3
- D.Godavari, National Waterway-4
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Four riverine lighthouses, the first of their kind on an inland waterway in India, are being built at Pandu, Bogibeel, Silghat and Biswanath Ghat under a ₹74 crore project announced in March 2026.
Read the full explanation →How much cargo moved on India's inland waterways in 2025-26?
- A.118 MMT
- B.168 MMT
- C.218 MMT
- D.318 MMT
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Cargo movement on inland waterways stood at 29 million metric tonnes in 2014-15 and climbed to 218 MMT in 2025-26, which works out to a compound annual growth rate of 20.13 per cent.
Read the full explanation →Under the new NHAI system, the designs of critical highway structures will be independently checked mainly by:
- A.Empanelled IITs and reputed government technical institutions
- B.The Comptroller and Auditor General
- C.The Bureau of Indian Standards alone
- D.State public works departments
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Under the procedure, three such institutions or firms are proposed from the authority panel and one or more is selected according to the needs of the project; the selected body examines the design on its own and submits observations and recommendations, which the contractor must act on before the authority…
Read the full explanation →A major river bridge comes under independent design checking when its design discharge is at least:
- A.1,000 cubic metres per second
- B.2,000 cubic metres per second
- C.3,000 cubic metres per second
- D.5,000 cubic metres per second
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That is the threshold of design discharge at which a major river bridge is drawn into the new verification regime.
Read the full explanation →From which date does the NHAI policy on independent checking of bridge designs take effect?
- A.1 November 2026
- B.1 December 2026
- C.1 January 2027
- D.1 April 2027
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From that date the requirement of independent verification applies to every new highway project awarded under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction model, the Hybrid Annuity Model and the Build-Operate-Transfer model, and also to projects in which design verification or proof checking had not yet begun.
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