THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state’s ambitious National Waterways project is set to attain a significant milestone with the commissioning of a 235-km stretch from Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram to Chettuva in Thrissur soon. Official sources said the stretch will be made navigable and commissioned by April or May this year.
“The actual deadline was March 2025. Unfortunately, the work was halted multiple times at Varkala owing to local dispute. Now, the work is progressing rapidly at Kadinamkulam and Varkala. Widening of the canal is on at five locations in Varkala. We hope to complete the work in the next two months,” a source said.
An official with the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Department told TNIE that economic development opportunities will be explored to tap tourism, cargo movement and water transportation.
“Tourism enhancement will be key. We have wrapped up economic development opportunity studies in certain areas and the same will be pitched at the upcoming investors meet in Kochi. The role of private players will be essential to tap the project’s tourism potential and boost local economy,” said the official. The department has identified around five such potential locations between Akkulam and Kollam. “Serious discussions are on to acquire these land parcels and implement development projects under PPP mode,” said an official.
The ambitious West Coast Waterway project aims to develop the 590-km-long canal system running parallel to the state’s coastline from Kovalam to Bekal. The project, designed to interconnect Kerala’s backwaters and rivers, aims to enhance transportation, trade, and tourism in the state by 2026.
An official with the Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL), the special purpose vehicle roped in by the government for the National Waterways project, said tourism will benefit the most once 235-km stretch of National Waterways is commissioned.
“The State Water Transport Department can introduce boat services linking Akkulam and Kollam. Water metro is another possibility which is being explored in Ashtamudi Lake,” he said.
Kollam Mayor Prasanna Earnest said Ashtamudi Lake was one of the 18 locations across the country approved by the Union government for the water metro project.
“We have been working on it for several months and are expecting project allocation in the upcoming budget. A combined inspection was done by the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd and NATPAC, and they identified Ashtamudi Lake feasible for the project,” said Prasanna told TNIE. The plan is to introduce a water metro from Kollam to Munroe Island and from there to Varkala.
Ambitious Project
590-km West Coast Canal (WCC) connects Kovalam in the south to Neeleswaram in the north. It traverses through 11 districts of Kerala
The waterway from Kovalam to Bekal in Kasaragod is proposed to be developed to a width of 40m and a draft of 2.20m for canals to enable large-scale movement of cargo, in phases
235 km of the WCC –part of National Waterways – from Akkulam to Chettuva likely to be commissioned within two months. Around H300 crore spent by the state to make the stretch navigable
The phase II of the project which focuses on eviction and rehabilitation of people living on the banks of the canals is under way
KIIFB has sanctioned an additional H247.3 crore to rehabilitate 1,275 families residing on the banks of Kovalam-Varkala stretch