International Journal of Water Resources Development Essay

This paper investigates the use of inland waterways on three continents-Asia, Europe, and North America with an in-depth focus on the transportation of agricultural, industrial and energy products. It is found that there are great variations on the use of inland waterways in their importance from one country to another. This variation in use of inland waterways depends on economic, technical, social and political considerations. Certain considerations like cost-effectiveness or technical feasibility are universal. Additionally, this discrepancy can be explained to a certain extent by geographical conditions, but lack of realization of the potential benefits to the national economies also plays an important role. Some countries – especially the oil-importing developing countries – are now making determined efforts to expand and modernize their waterways transportation systems, but generally there is a lack of national master plans for transportation, including inland waterways, so their development is still taking place on a piecemeal basis. There are many major considerations for using inland waterways, and some of these issues are interrelated. Five major considerations are: (i) economic efficiency; (ii) employment potential; (iii) energy use; (iv) environmental factors; and (v) socioeconomic requirements. As might be expected, the recent rates of growth of inland water transport in different parts of the world have not been uniform. The growth rates have not been similar even within a specific region. For example, in Asia, cargo handled by inland waterways increased by 12% in China in 1982, and by 9. 1% in Burma during 1982-83. In contrast, cargo handled in Bangladesh declined by 4% during 1982-83. Asia. Inland waterways are an important means of transportation and communication for a significant percentage of people in Asia, especially those living in river basins and deltaic areas. Countries like Bangladesh and Thailand have always relied on transportation through their rivers which cover almost the entire length of the countries from north to south. Europe. No uniform pattern of inland water transportation (IWT) emerges in the various countries of Europe. If the West European countries are considered, in general the total tonnage of goods carried has declined over the past decade. The reduction can to some extent be attributed to the decline in economic activities. North America. For Canada – water transport has historically played a dominant role in the Canadian economy because of the nation’s size, geography and presence of a large number of water bodies. Among the major constraints for IWT in Canada are the shortness of the season due to the freezing of waterways, the relative inflexibility of capacity in some areas and vulnerability to major variations in water levels in different river sections at different times during the year. For the USA there are three different systems can be identified geographically: Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast waterways and the Mississippi river-Gulf Intercoastal system. There is no inland connection between these three systems. An analysis of the situation with respect to inland waterways transportation clearly indicates the great variations in their importance and use from one country to another. While geographical conditions can explain this anomaly to a certain extent, lack of realization of the potential impact of IWT on national economies continues to be an important factor. The expansion of IWT in developing countries has more potential than in developed countries, where this mode of transportation is more mature. Without a national transportation policy, development of IWT can proceed only on an ad hoc, piecemeal basis.