THIRUVANANTHAPURAM / KOCHI: Revival and development of five canals in Kochi to facilitate passenger and cargo movement through waterway in addition to augmentation of the city’s tourism and recreational potential have been found feasible.
The development of Edappally canal (11.5 km), Chilavannoor canal (11.02 km), Thevara-Perandoor canal (9.84 km), Thevara canal (1.41 km), and Market canal (0.66 km) into a 20-metre waterway will cost ₹1,003 crore, and ₹603 crore if developed as a 12-metre waterway.
A feasibility study, conducted by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac) for the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) and approved by the State Cabinet on Thursday, points out that the five canals need to be dredged and cleaned up, with their banks protected, water weeds removed, cross structures dismantled and reconstructed, jetties constructed, and sewer lines laid and beautified.
Reviving Edappally canal, which passes through Edappally, Vennala, Chakkaraparambu, and Chalikkavattom, will help in bringing down the transportation cost of cargo between the industrial hubs of Udyogamandal and Ambalamugal.
Thevara canal has the potential to connect Champakkara canal with the IWT terminal at Maradu. Market canal, passing through Broadway and Market Road, the commercial hub of Kochi, has enormous tourism potential at the starting point – Marine Drive – and will facilitate cargo movement through Rainbow bridge to the market area.
According to the study, the estimated cost of dredging of the five canals is ₹836.33 lakh for 20 metre waterway and ₹406.42 lakh for 12 metre fairway. Cleaning up canals to remove floating waste and garbage will cost ₹170.43 lakh, while the estimated cost of 20.15-km bank protection is ₹5,038 lakh.
For the reconstruction of bridges on canals and dismantling of cross structures, ₹11,698 lakh will be needed. The compensation cost of the existing buildings has been worked out to be ₹29,530.44 lakh for 20 metres and ₹12,244.75 lakh for a 12-metre waterway.
The land required for a 20-metre waterway is 38.95 hectares, while 19.88 hectares will be needed for a 12-metre waterway, and they will cost ₹42,533.02 lakh and ₹21,550.46 lakh respectively.
Sanitation facilities will cost ₹175 lakh; laying of sewer line ₹5,780 lakh; removal of weeds from ₹18 lakh; construction of 132 jetties ₹1,320 lakh, and installation of navigational aids ₹115.5 lakh.
Canal beautification, including footpath, handrails, concrete benches, and other amenities, will need ₹200 lakh and tourism and recreational facilities like boating, gardening, and children’s park will cost ₹300 lakh. The Natpac report has listed the constraints too.
Slow destruction
The five canals were once the mainstay of cargo and passenger transport in Kochi. However, they slowly fell into disuse with the arrival of roads and vehicles.
People residing on either side also began directing their sewerage lines into the waterbodies, polluting them. The onset of urbanisation saw houses, apartment complexes, villas, and commercial firms encroach on canals, stifling free movement of water. This led to piling up of water hyacinth and the still waters becoming the breeding ground for mosquitos.
While encroachments reduced their width, construction of dozens of small and big bridges across them sealed the prospect of using boats and ferries. This is because they violated the 5.50-metre vertical clearance required for vessels to safely navigate the canals.
In 2016, water management experts had suggested the setting up fences on the banks of the Thevara-Perandoor canal for protecting it.
They also called for provision of sewer lines on the flanks to prevent sewage from entering the canal. The suggestions were part of the canal restoration measures put forward by the SCMS Water Institute and handed over to the Kochi Corporation. Yet another suggestion was an enforcement mechanism to prevent dumping of garbage.
The other recommendations included “participatory canal management mechanism involving residents’ associations, Kudumbasree workers, and other communities residing near the canal.”
The land available on both sides of the canal could also be used for recreation purposes, the report said.
