India's First Riverine Lighthouses to Be Built on Brahmaputra

10 Mar 2026 CW Team

The four sites at Bogibeel, Pandu, Silghat and Biswanath Ghat are located at strategic points on the south and north banks of the river. The combined project outlay is Rs 840 million (Rs 840 mn) and each lighthouse will rise to 20 metres with a geographical range of 14 nautical miles and a luminous range of eight–10 nautical miles, powered entirely by solar energy. Each site will include a museum, amphitheatre and public amenities to position the structures as tourism landmarks as well as navigational aids.

The commissioning follows a 53 per cent increase in cargo movement on NW-2 in 2024–25 as recorded by IWAI and reflects rising freight and passenger traffic on the Brahmaputra corridor. Authorities said the lighthouses will enable round the clock navigation, host weather observation sensors and provide the navigational infrastructure required for sustained growth of Assam's tea, coal and fertiliser supply chains. Officials highlighted cost and environmental advantages of inland water transport compared with road and rail.

The project followed an MoU signed on April eight, 2025 between IWAI and DGLL and sites were transferred under Right of Use agreements in June 2025 after technical clearance. Each lighthouse is scheduled for completion within 24 months of contract award following geotechnical investigation, topographic survey and detailed design. The DGLL will extend its mandate for aids to navigation to inland waterways while the IWAI will continue to administer and develop India's national waterways network, which includes the 891 kilometre navigable stretch of NW-2 between Dhubri and Sadiya.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal laid foundation stones for four riverine lighthouses on the Brahmaputra at Lachit Ghat in Guwahati, in a ceremony organised by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships and the Inland Waterways Authority of India. The project is the first deployment of lighthouse infrastructure on an inland waterway in India and is intended to improve navigational safety and support tourism on National Waterway-2. Senior state and central officials attended the event. The four sites at Bogibeel, Pandu, Silghat and Biswanath Ghat are located at strategic points on the south and north banks of the river. The combined project outlay is Rs 840 million (Rs 840 mn) and each lighthouse will rise to 20 metres with a geographical range of 14 nautical miles and a luminous range of eight–10 nautical miles, powered entirely by solar energy. Each site will include a museum, amphitheatre and public amenities to position the structures as tourism landmarks as well as navigational aids. The commissioning follows a 53 per cent increase in cargo movement on NW-2 in 2024–25 as recorded by IWAI and reflects rising freight and passenger traffic on the Brahmaputra corridor. Authorities said the lighthouses will enable round the clock navigation, host weather observation sensors and provide the navigational infrastructure required for sustained growth of Assam's tea, coal and fertiliser supply chains. Officials highlighted cost and environmental advantages of inland water transport compared with road and rail. The project followed an MoU signed on April eight, 2025 between IWAI and DGLL and sites were transferred under Right of Use agreements in June 2025 after technical clearance. Each lighthouse is scheduled for completion within 24 months of contract award following geotechnical investigation, topographic survey and detailed design. The DGLL will extend its mandate for aids to navigation to inland waterways while the IWAI will continue to administer and develop India's national waterways network, which includes the 891 kilometre navigable stretch of NW-2 between Dhubri and Sadiya.

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