THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: First phase of the ambitious 620km-long West Coast Canal project dedicated to the state by CM earlier this week. The project, expected to be completed by 2025, will allow seamless transportation through waterway for people and cargo
Rivers and canals are often a part of the history, culture and tradition of the place. Whether the rejuvenation of the pristine waterways along the west coast of the state would bring back the memories of the glorious past of our riverine towns and streets which once throbbed with life as boats and barges laden with spices and other goods crisscrossed them is not certain.
However, there are reasons for people to cheer as the ambitious West Coast Canal project which has been going on at a modest pace since 2004 got a fresh lease of life in the last four years. The first phase of the project has been completed and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dedicated the navigable portion of the network to the state this week.
The first phase of the 620-kilometre-long canal which traverses through 11 districts of the state had hit several roadblocks in the last three years. A total of 520km of the canal network is now navigable.Around 25 per cent of the work has been completed and the state government hopes to make it a 24-hour waterway by 2025.
This is expected to reduce the pressure on the road networks as the government plans to shift the movement of petroleum and chemical cargo through water. Moreover, it will give a major fillip to the inland backwater tourism in Kerala as it will provide tourists an opportunity to cruise through the ancient water highways from north to south, exploring the village life and destinations.
S Sureshkumar, chief engineer, Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), the special purpose vehicle created for the rejuvenation of the inland waterways, said a lot of challenges remain to make it a reality by 2025. But the state government is hopeful of developing a smart waterway before the deadline. “The Covid pandemic, two back-to-back floods and financial situation have hit the progress of the project.
However, we could complete the first phase by making 520km navigable. Land acquisition, evicting encroachments and rehabilitating people are the major tasks in Phase 2. And Phase 3 requires a huge investment for developing facilities along the canal to facilitate the movement of cargo and providing connectivity,” he said.
“The state is close to connecting the existing canal network with the rest of the state by making a 53-km-long artificial canal in Malabar. It is the major hurdle and once it is completed, the rest of the work involves developing network in tune with the specifications of national waterway and infrastructure facilities,” he added.
Three phases
1) Involves making the existing canal system navigable by 2021 by increasing the depth
2) Involves connecting the entire canal system by acquiring land, evicting people from encroached areas and rehabilitating them. Entire canal system has to be developed as per the specifications of National Waterway by 2022
3) Involves construction of cargo and container terminals along the coast and connecting the canal network with feeder canals in other parts of state
Cost
Funding by KIIFB
Rs 280 crore spent so far
Rs 3,000 crore to finish the project by 2025
Implementing agency
Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), the special purpose vehicle created for the rejuvenation of the inland waterways
Figures that matter
620km Total length
(Kovalam to Kallayi — 402km and Kallayi to Bekal — 218km)
Navigable now: 520km
State Waterway
Veli to Kollam (62km),
Kallayi to Bekal (218km)
National Waterway
Kollam to Kottapuram (168km)
Kottapuram to Chavakkad (80km)
Chavakkad to Kallayi (80km)
National Waterway under Class 3 specifications
30-40m width and 2.25m depth facilitating the movement of 500 tonnes of cargo
State Waterway to have
25m width and 1.7m depth
Bottlenecks
53 km long artificial canal in Malabar to ensure continuity
Joining Vadakara to Mahe (19km) by cutting across land stretches -- work divided into 5 segments, and 3 segments completed
Joining Mahe river and Valapattanam river (24km)*
Valapattanam to Nileswaram navigable, but 10km-long new canal to be built to connect it with WCC between Nileswaram and Bekal Fort*
Beyond Chavakkad, five low-level bridges and Kuttai regulator in the Ponnani-Kozhikode corridor have to be replaced urgently with new structures to make it navigable