Sonowal lays foundation of India's first riverine lighthouses on the Brahmaputra (NW-2)
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stones of four lighthouses on the Brahmaputra at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, on 5 March 2026, the first lighthouses on an inland waterway in India.
Summary
Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stones of four river lighthouses along the Brahmaputra at a ceremony at Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, on 5 March 2026, the first time lighthouses will be built on an inland waterway in India. The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will build them at Pandu (Kamrup Metro), Bogibeel (Dibrugarh) and Silghat (Nagaon) on the south bank and Biswanath Ghat (Biswanath) on the north bank, at a total cost of about ₹84 crore. Each will be 20 m tall, solar-powered, with a geographical range of 14 nautical miles, and will include a museum and tourist facilities. The ministry said the project responds to a 53% rise in cargo on National Waterway-2 in 2024-25.
Key facts
- Date and place
- 5 March 2026, Lachit Ghat, Guwahati, Assam
- First
- India's first lighthouses on an inland waterway
- Sites
- Pandu, Bogibeel, Silghat (south bank); Biswanath Ghat (north bank)
- Cost
- ~₹84 crore
- Agencies
- DGLL with IWAI
- Specs
- 20 m tall; solar; 14 nm geographical range
- Reason
- 53% rise in NW-2 cargo in 2024-25
Practice MCQs 3 questions
India's first riverine lighthouses, whose foundation stones were laid on 5 March 2026, will come up on which river?
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Correct answer: A — Brahmaputra
The four lighthouses will be built along the Brahmaputra, National Waterway-2, in Assam.
Which of the following is the only riverine lighthouse site on the north bank of the Brahmaputra?
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Correct answer: B — Biswanath Ghat
Pandu, Bogibeel and Silghat are on the south bank; Biswanath Ghat is the only north-bank site.
Consider the following statements about the riverine lighthouses on National Waterway-2: 1. They are being built by the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships with the Inland Waterways Authority of India. 2. Each lighthouse will be solar-powered and 20 metres tall. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct: DGLL and IWAI are building the four solar-powered, 20-metre lighthouses at about ₹84 crore.