New Delhi, March 30 – Several National Waterways, including the Ganga, Sutlej, and Indus, are being used for water sports activities by respective state governments. This is being done while implementing safety standards developed by the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) – Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply, said that the National Waterways currently used for water sports include, among others: Ganga (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand), Sutlej (Himachal Pradesh), Indus (Ladakh), Chenab, Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Sabarmati, Netravati, Sharavati, Tungabhadra, Mandovi, Chapora, Ghataprabha, Ravi, and canal systems in Kerala.
He, however, stated, "Currently, there is no formal proposal with the Ministry of Tourism to explore the 111 declared National Waterways for water sports."
He added that NIWS–IITTM has developed comprehensive safety standards and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for various water sports activities.
"These have been adopted/incorporated by several States/UTs in their respective water sports and adventure tourism policies. Technical support has been provided to States/UTs such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, and Puducherry," he said.
Shekhawat stated that the enforcement of safety regulations rests with the respective State/UT governments. These include the Tourist Police in Goa, the Tourist Safety Enforcement Team (TSET) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the State and District-level Adventure Tourism Committees in Gujarat and Odisha.
He said that compliance with the safety standards is monitored by State/UT authorities through periodic inspections, audits, and enforcement teams as per their respective guidelines.
The Ministry of Tourism, through its autonomous institute "National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS–IITTM)", conducts courses related to scuba diving, diving, surfing, parasailing, canoeing, and other water sports, he said.
The NIWS-IITTM is the nodal Government institution for training, certification, and capacity building in water sports in India.
In the written reply, the Minister stated that, at present, there is no formal proposal with the Ministry of Tourism for the development of water sports infrastructure in Coastal Karnataka.
"However, some States/UTs such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, and Odisha have approached NIWS–IITTM for the establishment of satellite centers to support capacity building and safe water-based tourism," said Shekhawat.