Referring to the ₹1,528-crore Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) project funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the work on which he launched here on Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said dredging and making navigable a total of six canals in the city would bring about connectivity between the canals and waterbodies that surround Kochi. A total of 280 families that would be relocated as part of the project would be rehabilitated and their socio-economic well-being ensured, he said.
Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will execute the project, in which 34.75 km of canals will be made navigable. The canals part of the project are Edappally canal (11.15 km); Chilavannoor canal (11.23 km); Thevara-Perandoor canal (9.84 km); Thevara canal (1.41 km); Market canal (0.66 km) and Konthuruthy canal (0.67 km). They will be widened to 16.50 m.