KOCHI: The Kerala government’s proposed West Coast Canal project -- from Bekal to Kovalam -- is gaining momentum. By the end of December this year or January next year, three small stretches of the 616-km-long waterway project may be opened for navigation.
Top sources said the Mannattampara-Kallayi and Valapattanam-Nileswaram stretch, in the north, and the section near the Chilakkoor Tunnel, in the south of the state, are expected to be completed within a year.
“The proposal to open these stretches has been submitted to the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and, if sanctioned, the project will be launched in stages,” said a senior officer with the Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) floated for the development of the project. The total estimated cost of the project is `6,500 crore, and KIIFB has approved works worth Rs 2,400 crore, including for land acquisition.
“The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will carry out work on the Kollam-Kottapuram stretch after the central government included the Kottapuram, in Kodungallur, to Kallayi Puzha, in Kozhikode, section as part of National Waterway 3. Funds are yet to be disbursed for the same,” the official said.
The stretch from Kallayi Puzha to Bekal and Kollam to Kovalam falls under the State Waterway of the West Coast Canal. “The segment from Aakkulam to Varkala — the Chilakkoor Tunnel portion — is progressing and expected to be completed by December 2023 or January 2024. We plan to develop a 1.5km walkway and a light-and-sound show after we attain approval,” the official added.
The DPR for the Parvathy Puthanar backwater stretch from Kovalam to Aakkulam, with an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore, has been submitted to KIIFB for approval.”Once the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report is approved by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, KIIFB will approve the DPR, and the work will begin soon. “The stretch includes work related to canal widening, boat jetty construction, and bridge renovation,” the official said.
Also, the DPR for the 11km-long Kallayi-Eranhikkal canal stretch, passing through Kozhikode city, is being prepared under the Canal City Project, at an estimated cost of `1,000 crore. KWIL will acquire land to take up tunnel work from Mahi to Valapattanam River, a 51km stretch. “For the acquisition, KIIFB has approved funds, and the work is ongoing. The work on the stretch between Vallivattom and Neeleswaram has been completed,” the official said. Meanwhile, KIIFB has sanctioned `247 crore for the rehabilitation of 1,300 families residing near the canal between Kovalam and Varkala. The overall land acquisition for the project will be completed within one year.
Furthermore, an economic development opportunity (EDO) study is ongoing on the 13 stretches between Kovalam and Bekal to evaluate the project’s financial benefits for the state government. As a pilot, a study of the Akkkulam-Kollam and Mannattampara-Kallayi sections in the Malabar region was carried out on the direction of KIIFB. In the recent state budget, the finance minister had allocated `300 crore to KIIFB for land acquisition.