On June 9 in Delhi, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, unveiled the Sagar Samriddhi, an online dredge monitoring system designed to support the Ministry’s “Waste to Wealth” initiative. The National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts, the technological division of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), designed this system, according to the MoPSW. In comparison to the outdated DLM (Draught and Loading Monitor) system, the new technology offers a noticeable improvement.
The system will integrate various input reports, such as daily dredging reports and pre- and post-dredging survey data, before processing and providing real-time dredging reports. The ‘Sagar Samriddhi’ monitoring system will also provide daily and monthly progress visualisation, dredger performance and downtime tracking, and easy location trace data with snapshots of loading, unloading, and idle time. The Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India ideologies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are strengthened by this method.
“Waste to Wealth” initiative
Union Minister of MoPSW Sarbananda Sonowal said, “PM Modi gave us the mantra of Zero Defect and Zero Effect and MoPSW continues to implement his vision. In the age of cutting-edge technology, it is crucial to use technology to monitor the system in order to reduce human mistakes.
The Major Ports will be able to employ the Online Dredging Monitoring System going forward, bringing about substantial changes in project implementation and lowering the cost of dredging through the usage of the dredged materials. This will promote environmental sustainability, reduce port operating expenses, and increase efficiency and transparency.
Additionally speaking, the MoPSW secretary said, “The monitoring system is expected to enable better productivity, better contract management, as well as effective reuse of dredged material with waste to wealth concept.” The MoPSW published the “Dredging Guidelines for Major Ports” in 2021 to address the objective of carrying out dredging with the required technical investigation. In order to assist the Major Ports in conceptualising and completing their dredging projects on schedule, the Dredging Guidelines lay out the procedure for planning and preparations, technical investigations, the management of dredged material, and other responsibilities.
The Major Ports will be able to employ the Online DMS going forward, bringing about substantial changes
The Ministry released an Addendum to the Dredging Guidelines 2021 in March 2023 for major ports to dispose of dredged material by including a necessary clause in the bid documents that would help lower the cost of dredging through the use of “Waste to Wealth.” In order to reduce the cost of dredging, it also claimed that it specifies the wide range of advantageous uses of dredged material, including engineering applications for construction purposes, environmental enhancement, including beach nourishment, etc.
On April 24, 2023, the Minister officially opened the NTCPWC, which was built at IIT Madras as part of the MoPSW’s Sagarmala Programme with a total investment of Rs 77 Crores. The centre’s main objective is to facilitate marine sector research and development in order to find answers and, ultimately, promote a thriving marine industry in the nation.
With its cutting-edge capabilities, this industry’s port, coastal, and waterways sector can conduct 2D and 3D studies for research and consultation purposes across all disciplines.