New lifeline, new promises

To the ordinary eyes, they are drains that carry urban waste. In most parts, they are covered with invasive weeds. They extend from one part of the State to the other, merging with the backwater system at some places and meandering through the coastal terrain as a canal at others.

At many places, weeds hide the water below. And where the water is visible, it is mostly oily with all kinds of waste material thrown in. In the thickly populated coastal areas, the sewage pipes from mostly squatter homes abutting them empty into the canals, leaving the flora and fauna underneath gasping for breath. Nothing short of magic can transform these water courses to their pristine glory. If all goes according to plans of the State government, that magic might well become a reality in a few years from now. Once that happens, the canal system would become the pride of Kerala, the State’s link to the National Waterway network.

In the seven decades since Independence, planners had failed to exploit the enormous potential of inland water transport as a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation. Like the rest of the country, Kerala, with a network of canal system of 1,687 km has also not been able to develop the inland waterways to divert at least a part of the cargo now being transported through road corridors.

Had it done so, it could have decongested the carriageways of the State’s road network, reduced road accidents that snatch around 4,000 lives annually and bring down the burgeoning transportation and fuel costs. In hindsight, it would appear that planners and administrators of the pre-Independence era were visionaries and had today’s much touted multi-modal transport options in their mind. The West Coast Canal (WCC), which would be the spine of the National Waterways project, was conceived and executed thus.

Although many plans were set rolling decades ago, steps to dredge and widen the canals, protect their banks, improve the vertical and horizontal clearance of the bridges and foot over bridges dotting all along their length, remove and relocate fishing nets and stakes along the canals to Class III standards of National Waterway (NW) still remain incomplete. Basic infrastructure such as modern terminals, jetties and navigation aids are yet to fall in place. Fiscal incentives for vessel building, loans at concessional interest rates and subsidy for cargo movement through waterways announced by successive governments too have not yielded the desired results. The only silver lining in this dismal scenario is the emergence of backwater tourism with the launch of the houseboats, the floating mascots of Kerala Tourism.

Of the 633-km West Coast Canal (WCC), the main arterial waterway in the State traversing through 11 districts, only the 168-km Kollam-Kottapuram stretch, including the 37-km Udyogamandal and Champakara canals, declared as NW III way back in 1993 and developed by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), is navigable. The next 160-km stretch from Kottapuram to Kozhikode, declared as NW III under the the National Waterway Act 2016, is partially navigable. The 40.08-km Kozhikode-Vadakara and the 58.10-km from Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram district to Kollam, under the State Waterways, are the other two partially navigable stretches. Encroachments, shallow depth, narrow width, discharge of sewage from houses dotting the banks, dumping of waste, mushrooming of water hyacinth and lack of basic infrastructure facilities continue to haunt the development of the remaining seven stretches of WCC.

Development of the National Waterway was one of the key promises of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) during elections and, in keeping with the promise, the government has been putting its heart and soul into the project, with the objective of creating inland waterways and feeder routes, port hinterland connectivity and high speed ferries. Although little has been spoken or written about it, an ambitious ₹2,300 crore project to make the 633-km WCC from Kovalam to Kasaragod navigable by May 2020 according to NW specifications is moving at a fast clip now.

Pushing the ambitious project hard is Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has mandated shifting of at least 5% of the cargo that move by roads now to the waterway in five years.

Once developed, the waterway would have a width of 40 metres, initially facilitating movement of turbulence-free boats that can move even at a depth of 4 metres. The proposal is to deploy indigenously developed solar boats on a pilot basis in the waterway. Funds for development of the waterways is being mobilised through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). For time-bound development of the inland waterways, including the uncut portions to be connected along the canal system to the WCC, a joint venture company has been formed by the State government and the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) on a 49:49 equity ratio, the remaining 2% share going to others. The Chief Minister is the Chairman and CIAL managing director V.J. Kurian the Managing Director of the newly formed Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Development Ltd (KWIL).

“The idea is to rejuvenate and ensure connectivity of the waterway from Kovalam to Kasaragod in Phase One,” says Mr. Kurian.

In Phase Two, scheduled for completion in May 2022, the greenfield works linked to infrastructure development, including the construction of new 12 metre wide and 7 metre high tunnels parallel to the existing tunnels at Varkala, would be taken up. The existing tunnels will be turned heritage monuments. Land acquisition for development of roads of 10 metres on both sides of the canals for creating ancillary facilities would be initiated in the second phase. Tourism villages would be developed along the banks of the developed waterways at every 25 km distance. Water sports activities and geo-cultural centres linked to the culture, heritage and other unique aspects of each area are proposed to be created in Phase Three, scheduled for completion in May 2025.

Within six months of its incorporation, the KWIL has begun steps for rejuvenation of the 18.5-km stretch from Kovalam to Akkulam that includes the Parvathy Puthanar. Tenders for the work have already been floated. The works are to be carried out with funding of ₹150 crore from KIIFB. Of the 74.18-km waterway from Kovalam to Kollam, only 27.50-km is navigable and 11.30 km partially navigable now. Apart from dredging and cleaning, three new bridges including those at Vallakadavu, Puthenpalam, reconstruction of all cross structures with dimensions lower than 5 metre horizontal clearance and 3.7 metre vertical clearance would be taken up. Rehabilitation of families who have encroached upon the canal, removal of sewage opening into the Paravathy Puthanar and their linking to the Muttathara sewage treatment plant would also be taken up subsequently in a phased manner.

As many as 1,500 families would have to be rehabilitated in the stretch according to a survey carried out by the Thiruvananthapuram district administration.

Houses would be be provided to them under the Life Mission. In all, 50 new bridges would have to be constructed along the WCC from Kovalam to Kasaragod. Among the other stretches, the KWIL has found the 26-km uncut portion forming part of the 57-km Mahe-Valapattnam corridor to be the biggest challenge. An artificial link canal with a 60-metre wide corridor would have to be built to connect the Mahe and Valapattnam rivers. The KWIL is involving the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department, the State Water Transport Department and the Kerala Shipping and the Inland Navigation Corporation in the development of the waterways. The government is of the view that 30 to 60% of cargo being transported through the roads at present and movement of petroleum products, especially hazardous materials like LPG, can be shifted to the waterways, Mr. Kurain said.

“The State should also take steps to get the entire WCC declared as National Waterway, extend it to Colachel in Tamil Nadu and secure full funding from the Centre for the development of inland waterways rather than mobilising its own resources,” says R.M. Nair, former member (technical), Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI). Once the National Water Three, extending from Kovalam to Kollam and Kottapuram to Kasaragod becomes a reality, what Mr. Nair envisages might become possible: the creation of an inter-State tidal waterway that covers a distance of over 700 km, parallel to Kerala’s long coastline and its existing railway track and the upcoming coastal highway.