only some portion of inland waterways are navigable by streamers
Answers
Two major categories under which water transport can be divided are as follows: 1. Inland Waterways 2. Ocean Transport!
Since, prehistoric times, water transport has been used for carrying both men and goods. Water transport probably developed before the use of animals because waterway formed an easy means of travel in places where dense forests on land hindered movement.
The range and importance of water transport was increased when power of wind was harnessed by use of boats or some other medium. At first, boats were small and confined mainly to inland waters and sheltered coastal areas.
The gradual increase in size and complexity of sailing craft allowed trade to be established. The Phonecians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans as well as Arabs and Indians had wide trading contacts. The use of steam has given a new dimension, greater power and speed to water transport to carry larger goods at long distances.
The use of diesel and other forms of power has changed the entire scenario of the water transport and today most of the world trade is water-borne. The two greatest advantages of water transport are that it uses oceans, rivers, seas and needs no special tracks, and that it is the cheapest form of transport for large and bulky loads.
Water transport can be divided into following two categories:
(i) Inland waterways, and
(ii) Ocean transport.
1. Inland Waterways:
There are three types of inland waterways, namely, rivers, rivers which have been modified or canalised, and specially constructed canals. In earlier times much, perhaps most, of the inland carriage of commodities was by water.
This was possible when vessels were small, the volume of traffic limited, and the time factor was not particularly pressing. But during the 18th century, ships began to grow in size, trade began greatly to expand, and speed of carriage came to be of greater importance.
In order to overcome the limitations of many rivers and, also, to provide many inland towns with water communications, canals began to be built. In England, a pioneer in canal construction, the building of these new man-made waterways became almost a mania. Canal building on the Continent came somewhat later, although there are some examples of early canals, e.g., the Canal du Midi in southern France was constructed in 1681.
In 19th century, there was some decline in inland water transport due to development of railways and road transport. But after sometime, water transport has tended to make a comeback, this is closely linked with the cheapness and capacity for bulk carriage of water transport – witness the recent and current developments of the Albert Canal, the canal between Zeebrugge and Ghent, the canalisation of the Moselle, the Rhone Valley Scheme, etc. Inland waterways have both advantages and disadvantages.
The chief advantages are:
(i) There is no track to lay or maintain, although dredging may be necessary in the case of natural waterways;
(ii) They may provide the only practicable routes, e.g., in very difficult, mountainous country or in areas of very dense tropical forest; and
(iii) Waterways, under favourable conditions, provide cheap transport for heavy, bulky, imperishable commodities such as coal, ore, timber, cement.
The principal disadvantages of inland waterways are:
(i) Rivers may involve devious journeys and may flow in the wrong direction from the point of view of trade;
(ii) Otherwise navigable rivers may be interrupted by falls or rapids while canals require locks if there are differences in level;
(iii) River levels may change seasonally and freezing may occur in winter causing stoppages in navigation;
(iv) Canal construction involves heavy capital outlay and canals require constant maintenance and sometimes dredging, and may also require a water supply;
(v) Transport by water is slow in comparison with most other forms of overland transport and carriage by water is generally unsuitable for perishable produce; and
(vi) Waterways are less flexible than either roads or railways which can more easily adapt themselves to changing industrial location.
Although water transport is carried on to a greater or lesser degree the world over, there are only six major navigable systems of inland waterways: the rivers of Western and Central Europe, the Volga-Don system, the North American rivers, the Amazon system, the Parana-Paraguay system, and the Chinese waterways.
Inland waterways are best developed in Europe and North America; in other continents their development is moderate.