Ocean – this five-lettered word is the lifeblood of Earth. Some of the most frequently asked questions about the Earth are known to surround the Ocean and its mysteries. It spans seventy percent of the Earth’s surface, mothering the most fascinating and undiscovered species of all time. It is said that we know more about the surface of the moon than what we have been able to find out about our Oceans. As of today, we do not know how many of the earth’s species call the ocean their home. What we do know, is that humankind has always taken a thrill in exploring the unexplored, and what lies beyond the Ocean is an entirely new universe eagerly waiting to be discovered.
When the Earth had formed, it was a boiling rock, every liquid that was created on the surface of the Earth eventually turned to gas due to the fuming heat and stayed in the atmosphere for many years. When the Earth finally cooled down, storms and hurricanes were brought to life, and it rained for many years. All this water that drained down into the hollows of Earth, was eventually called the Ocean.
Today, this continuous body of water has its own borders and boundaries. In the beginning, the Earth was the mother to one global Ocean, a feigned territory humans had not yet recognized how to study. And later as Oceanographers discovered the hollows, crevices and fascinating reefs that stemmed out of this huge water body, it was divided into five oceans – Arctic, Atlantic, Southern, Pacific and Indian. Nations then decided how to negotiate their territories across the borders of the ocean, and as a result every nation today has its inland waterways and a specific authority that governs over it.
One such country that heralds a diverse range of Inland Waterways and is home to the most unique cultures ever known to mankind is India. With 14500kms of Inland Waterways, India is the second-largest shipping country in Asia and the sixth largest in the world. With a coastline of 7517 km and 12 ports, it is home to a variety of rivers, lakes, backwaters, trenches, and waterbodies. The Inland Waterways Authority is the statutory body responsible for the waterways in India. The National Waterways Act of 2016 recognized 111 Inland Waterways in India. This spreads from the National Waterway 1 – Prayag raj Haldia Stretch of the Ganga Bhagirathi Hoogly rivers to National Waterway 111 – Zuari River.
About 44 million tonnes of cargo is moved annually through these waterways using mechanized vessels and country boats, burning an unfathomable amount of fossil fuel in the process. When we electrified a mere 3kms out of these 14,500 km, within six years it measured up to planting 25000 trees. And our mission as a company that cares about the Earth and aims for cleaner and quieter oceans, is to electrify the entirety of these 14500kms, which will mean planting approximately 12,08,33,333 trees across the surface of Earth.
