New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- The Centre is preparing to scale up water metro systems across India's cities, with the Kochi Water Metro emerging as the template for a nationwide network aimed at easing urban congestion through cleaner, electric water transport.

The push, however, will require a dedicated national policy, a legal framework similar to the Metro Rail Act, and a rapid expansion of domestic boat manufacturing capacity if the concept is to move beyond isolated projects, according to Loknath Behera, managing director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), which operates India's only water metro.

"There should be a separate Water Metro Act, just like the Metro Rail Act," Behera told in an interview to Mint. "If the system has to be standardise...