The use of rivers as a means of transport/navigation has always been present in human history. In developed countries, where the land transport network is extremely developed, waterways are still of fundamental importance. In this way, the waterways of these countries are modern, which makes this means of transport efficient, even including the evolutions in vessels Since in the past they were steam-powered, they later started to use diesel oil as fuel, which allowed an increase in the velocity.
A positive feature of this mode of transport is the low cost, for this reason the transport railway did not replace the waterway, with the exception of inappropriate places for the implementation of waterways.
Inland waterway transport is economical, in addition to being less polluting, it can be used as an alternative or even a substitute for road transport.
However, it is not enough just to want to implement a waterway, there are factors that prevent, in some cases, its installation. One of the main problems is linked to the irregularity of the surface (topography), which must be flat, because if the terrain is uneven, the implementation of the waterway becomes unfeasible.
Currently, even in places on plateaus it is possible to navigate through the application of technologies. For river navigation to develop efficiently, it is necessary to take into account aspects of a natural nature, such as periods of floods and ebbs of rivers, both related to the volume of water that undergoes variations and that interfere with the navigation.
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By Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FREITAS, Eduardo de. "River transport"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/transporte-fluvial.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
