'Namo Yamuna' cruise: Delhi's first recreational boat on the Yamuna

11 November 2026 · English Environment & Ecology

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Topics: Environment · UPSC Prelims · TNPSC · SSC · Current Affairs

Current affairs of 11 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched the 'Namo Yamuna' river cruise (river safari) service on the Yamuna at Sonia Vihar, Delhi, on 10 November 2026. Reports describe it as the capital's first recreational cruise service on the Yamuna. It runs on a pilot stretch of about 4 km between Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur (part of National Waterway-110), upstream of the Wazirabad barrage, in 35–45 minutes. A 30-seat electric vessel is used, with zero-discharge bio-toilets; a second boat is due by February–March 2027. The fare is ₹500, plus a ₹50 entry fee. It was developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi Jal Board and Delhi's Irrigation and Flood Control Department; the IWAI–Delhi agencies MoU was signed in March 2025. The service will be suspended during the monsoon (1 July–30 September).

Key facts for the exam

Background

• Geography: The Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri glacier on the Bandarpunch range in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand. It flows along the Himachal–Uttarakhand and Haryana–UP borders, past Delhi, Mathura and Agra, and joins the Ganga at Prayagraj (Triveni Sangam); it is about 1,376 km long. The Tons is its major Himalayan tributary; from the peninsula the Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken join it – the Chambal being the longest.
• Waterways: The National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 106 new waterways, taking the total to 111; the Yamuna is National Waterway-110. NW-1 (Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly, Prayagraj–Haldia) is the longest. IWAI, which develops inland waterways, was set up in 1986 and is headquartered at Noida.
• Environment: Delhi's 22-km stretch is under 2% of the Yamuna's length, yet CPCB reports attribute a large share of the river's pollution to it. The cruise starts upstream of Wazirabad, where the water is relatively cleaner. Toxic foam is often seen near the Okhla barrage in winter.

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Sources: The Tribune; ThePrint; Millennium Post; UNI; Outlook Traveller; Business Today (PTI); Asianet Newsable; National Waterways Act, 2016; IWAI. Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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