A pipe dream for years, Kerala will now come one step closer to realising the rejuvenation of its pristine waterways to the standard of national waterways, bringing back memories of the glorious past of its old riverine towns and streets.
The State government will carry out development works to the tune of ₹6,500 crore in the next three years as part of the second phase of development of the ambitious 620-km long West Coast canal project.
In the first phase, a total of 520 km of canal network was made navigable by the Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), the special purpose vehicle created for the rejuvenation of the inland waterways in the State. Already, the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has approved works to the tune of ₹1,170 crore in various stretches of the canal.
The Cabinet on Thursday approved the project to develop the Conolly Canal in Kozhikode district to the standard of national waterway.
The second phase involves upgrading the State waterways to the standard of national ones. As part of this, 243 bridges will be reconstructed to ensure seamless transportation through waterways for passengers and cargo.
The second phase involves rehabilitating around 1,275 families from the banks of the canal between Kovalam and Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district for which a sum of ₹247 crore was approved by the KIIFB. Already, 76 families in the capital district were rehabilitated under the Punargeham rehabilitation scheme meant for coastal families.
Further, a sum of ₹650 crore was approved for acquiring 650 acres of land between Mahe and Valapattanam where an artificial canal has to be created in three uncut portions along the 57-km long stretch.
Similarly, around 120 acres of land will have to be acquired between Nileshwaram and Bekal to link the entire arterial inland waterway network of the State for which a sum of ₹186 crore was approved by the KIIFB. An amount of ₹87.18 crore was also approved the other day to widen the Parvathy Puthanar canal in Thiruvananthapuram.
The task of preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the development of the canal network in Kozhikode district is entrusted with Lee Associates, while the DPR for developing the canal between Kovalam and Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram at a cost of ₹183 crore has been completed and submitted for the approval of the KIIFB.
S. Sureshkumar, chief engineer, KWIL, said: “the entire canal network will be developed to the standard of national waterway. However, in some areas such as Parvathy Puthanar, the width of the canal will be 20 m wide, while it will be 32 m in the rest of the places. The draft of the canal will be 2.2 m in the entire stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod as per the class III norm of national waterways.”
“The next three years will be the crucial phase of the waterway project as it will change the face of Kerala,” said Mr. Sureshkumar.
