NTPC Ltd, India's largest power company, has begun transporting fly ash through inland waterways for use in cement manufacture. The pilot project sees the material delivered to Pandu, Assam, from the company's thermal power station in Kahalgaon, Bihar.

"For this pilot project, first mile activity of bagging and loading of fly ash into barges will be done by NTPC and the cost of transportation will be taken care of by the Inland Waterways Authority of India and Star Cement," NTPC said in a statement.

While fly ash is being regularly transported in 40kg bags via railway to plants in the northeast of the country, waterway routes are expected to increase the utilisation of the material.