Assessing the potential role of inland water navigation for green economy

On one hand, the authors explore transport and trade as two broad service sectors of inland water resources. On the other hand, attempt is made to link the services from this sector with the evolving understanding of Green Economy. The first section explains the historical background of Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector along with the discussion of options that can channel its optimum efficiency. The authors state that co-operation and co-ordination between trans-boundary governments is a strategic element to expand the network of inland water transport beyond national boundaries. The second section presents a comparison of river transportation system with surface road-rail network to explain prospective contribution of IWT for green economic growth. Conclusively, the prospect of inland navigation looks promising, wherein issues on infrastructural gaps and institutional support are addressed suitably. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jepsl.v2i1.5742 Journal of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka Vol.2(1) 2013 25-37