Construction Mirror Article detail

This waterway stretches 891 kilometers from Dhubri to Sadia and was officially designated as National Waterway-2 in September 1988.

In a significant update provided to the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, led by Union Minister Sonowal, detailed the ongoing construction of five bridges over the Brahmaputra River as part of National Waterway-2. This waterway stretches 891 kilometers from Dhubri to Sadia and was officially designated as National Waterway-2 in September 1988.

Bridge Construction and Regulatory Compliance

The Ministry highlighted that constructing any bridge over a National Waterway requires a “No Objection Certificate” (NoC) from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). This certification is crucial to ensure that the bridges comply with safety standards concerning horizontal and vertical clearances, essential for maintaining navigational safety.

As per the Inland Waterways Authority of India (Classification of Waterways in India) Regulations, 2006—amended in 2016 and 2022—the Brahmaputra River is classified into two segments:

Dhubri to Dibrugarh: Classified as Class-VII waterway, requiring a minimum horizontal clearance of 100 meters between piers and a minimum vertical clearance of 10 meters.

Dibrugarh to Sadia: Classified as Class-V waterway, necessitating a minimum horizontal clearance of 80 meters between piers and a minimum vertical clearance of 8 meters.