Pros And Cons Of River Pollution

Long before the seas were conquered by the Vikings and the Spanish explorers, rivers were the channels that opened up new lands for trade and commerce. Over millennia, entire civilisations have flourished and withered on river banks. Even today, rivers such as the Thames, Brahmaputra, Mississippi, Nile, Yangtze, Rhine, Danube, Amazon and Ganga form inland waterway networks that support millions of businesses and move billions of tons of cargo.

There are of course pros and cons of transporting cargo over inland waterways. Often river transport via barges can be cost effective: one single 600 tonne barge can move the equivalent of 24 mid-sized truck loads [1].

Although speeds on water are slower, barges can transport bigger loads and hence, deliver economies of scale. The other advantage is that freight on inland waterways is a less obtrusive option – less noise and visual impact. In contrast, river pollution is a factor that has to be

Not only is it a popular cruise destination for tourists, it also enables about 3 million tonnes of container traffic every year. [4]

The longest river
The Nile and the Amazon vie for the rank of the world’s longest river. The Nile, flows for more than 6,800 km, traversing a dozen countries in Africa, and forming the primary source of water in Egypt and Sudan. Highly seasonal, the river transports only about 3 million tonnes of goods every year, and is more popular as a route for passenger traffic. [5]

Amazon, arguably the world’s longest river at 6,900 km and flushing one fifth of the world’s fresh water into the oceans, has a vast untapped potential as an inland waterway. It moves about 45 million tonnes of cargo every year, as it flows through Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, thus underscoring its role in transportation and international trade. (6)

Heart of