Delhi launches electric Yamuna cruise on National Waterway 110

Delhi’s first recreational cruise service on the Yamuna was inaugurated at Sonia Vihar on 10 November 2026. Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, inaugurated it in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The service operates on the stretch between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur. Its electric passenger vessel has 30 seats, and the full round trip covers approximately 6 km.

The Inland Waterways Authority of India developed the project with Delhi agencies, including the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Jal Board. Floating jetties were included for boarding, and the project provides for ticket counters and online booking. The service is designed for recreation and passenger travel. It uses one portion of National Waterway 110, a designation that applies to a much longer specified reach of the Yamuna. The length of a return trip on the new service should therefore not be read as the total length of the national waterway.

Facts to remember

• Launch: 10 November 2026 at Sonia Vihar, Delhi.
• Route: Sonia Vihar to Jagatpur and back, approximately 6 km.
• The electric vessel seats 30 passengers.
• The relevant statutory designation is National Waterway 110 under the National Waterways Act, 2016.

Background

Section 2 of the National Waterways Act, 2016 declares the listed inland stretches to be national waterways for shipping and navigation. The Schedule identifies National Waterway 110 as the Yamuna reach from Jagatpur in Delhi to the river’s confluence with the Ganga at Sangam. The notified limits are distinct from a particular service route.

Why it matters for exams

For CLAT Polity and geography, match National Waterway 110 to the Yamuna and revise the distinction between a statutory waterway and a passenger route.