News has surfaced that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) recently rolled out an innovative online dredging monitoring system called ‘Sagar Samriddhi.’ This pivotal move aligns neatly with the government’s ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative, showing a promising step forward in waterway management. This article will walk you through key facets of the development, including what dredging and Sagar Samriddhi is, relevant guidelines pertaining to dredging in India, and our introduction to National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways, and Coasts (NTCPWC).
Dredging: An Overview
At its core, dredging involves removing sediments and debris from various water bodies like lakes, rivers, and harbors. Over time, sediment tends to accumulate at the bottom of these water bodies, rendering them too shallow for safe navigation by boats or ships. Dredging helps maintain or even deepen navigation channels, anchorages, and berthing areas, enabling larger ships to sail through and transport goods. This process is indispensable for the economy, as such ships handle a significant portion of the country’s imports.
Sagar Samriddhi: Bolstering Dredging With Tech
Developed by the technological arm of MoPSW, the NTCPWC, Sagar Samriddhi aims to enhance productivity, contract management, and promotes effective reuse of dredged material. The system introduces improvements to the previous Draft & Loading Monitor (DLM) system. Sagar Samriddhi is aligned with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) and Make in India, augmenting the nation’s technological capabilities. Some capabilities of the new system include providing real-time dredging progress reports, daily and monthly progress visualizations, dredger performance and downtime monitoring, and easy location tracking with snapshot data of loading, unloading, and idle time.
Significance of Sagar Samriddhi
By leveraging technology to minimize human error, Sagar Samriddhi improves project implementation, cuts dredging costs, fosters environmental sustainability, and boosts transparency and efficiency. The system enables improved project planning, reduces operational costs, and accelerates the development of deep draft Ports.
Guidelines for Dredging in India
In 2021, MoPSW announced ‘Dredging Guidelines for Major Ports,’ which maps out the procedure for planning, preparation, technical investigations, dredged material management, estimating dredging cost, etc., aimed at enabling major ports to complete dredging projects on time. In March 2023, the Ministry updated these guidelines, introducing a provision in the bidding documents to decrease dredging costs via the ‘Waste to Wealth’ principle. It proposed multiple beneficial ways to utilize the dredged material, including usage in construction projects and for environmental improvements like beach nourishment.
Introduction to NTCPWC
The NTCPWC was instituted under the Sagarmala Programme of MoPSW in April 2023 with a total investment of Rs 77 Crores at IIT Madras. The main objective of establishing the center is to facilitate R&D for the marine sector, providing solutions geared towards achieving the ultimate goal of creating a sturdy marine industry in the country. This state-of-the-art center holds world-class competencies for undertaking 2D & 3D investigations of research and consultancy nature for the Port, Coastal, and Waterways sector across various disciplines.
