Shipping Ministry Launches ‘Sagar Samridhi’, A System Aimed To Monitor And Monetise Dredging Activities At Indian Ports

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal launched an online dredging monitoring system called 'Sagar Samridhi'.

The new system aims to tighten the monitoring regime for dredging contracts and also focus on monetising dredged material, as part of the government’s efforts to expedite the ‘Waste to Wealth’ initiative, reports The Mint.

Previously, the Shipping Ministry had released a revised version of the Dredging Guidelines for Major Ports in March 2023. The new guidelines emphasised on exploring the beneficial use of dredged materials and promoting the concept of "Waste to Wealth" in the dredging industry.

Dredging is crucial in maintaining adequate depth in water bodies for vessels to navigate.

However, due to the submerged nature of this activity, contracts frequently involve instances where dredging companies fail to meet the required draft specified in the bid conditions.

To combat this issue, the new online dredging monitoring system has been launched for ports under the central government's control to ensure contracts are fulfilled accurately and thoroughly.

The launch ceremony was attended by Sudhansh Pant, Secretary of the ministry, along with senior officials from the ministry, major ports, and organisations.

Pant said the Centre has intervened to generate wealth from dredged material. “It has now been instructed that the dredging contractors will be responsible for selling the extracted material. This will lower the net dredging cost.”

Furthermore, in areas where dredged material quality is high and can be used for construction, even greater value can be unlocked.

The online dredging monitoring system will automatically assess the volume of extracted material from river and sea beds.

Sagar Samridhi will provide dredging data online, making it easily accessible. The project will track all committed and completed dredging in real-time.

Additionally, extracted materials will be tested for their value. According to Sonowal, this initiative will streamline information and provide crucial data, as per Economic Times report.

The ministry has made it compulsory for all major ports and the Inland Waterways Authority of India to oversee dredging operations using this system.

The system will be utilised by both newly acquired and upgraded dredgers.