New norms have been fixed for vertical and horizontal clearances for construction of bridges and structures across navigable waterways other than National Waterways for safe movement of vessels.
Already, a vertical clearance of 6 m and horizontal span of 50 m for rivers and vertical clearance of 6 m and horizontal span of 40 m for canals had been notified by the Indian Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for the National Waterways in the State that come under Class III specifications.
Clearance
As per the norms notified by the government for construction and reconstruction of structures across navigable waterways other than the National Waterways in the State, a horizontal clearance of 25 m and vertical clearance of 5 m from the high-tide level is needed for the south of the Kollam stretch in the West Coast Canal.
In the south of Kozhikode, the horizontal clearance will be 50 m and vertical clearance, 6 m in rivers as per Class III specifications of the IWAI.
In canals, the horizontal clearance will be 32 to 40 m in normal case. It can be modified as per the site conditions by the Chief Engineer, Inland Navigation and Kuttanad Package (In and Kp), after site inspection. The vertical clearance had been fixed at 6 m.
For feeder canals, the horizontal clearance can be fixed by the CE (In and Kp) and subordinate engineers after site inspection. However, the vertical clearance will be 5 m from the high-tide level.
For low-lying areas
In low-lying areas like Kuttanad, the vertical clearance will be flood level 2018 plus 2 m. For locations where agro-machinery has to be transported through canals, the vertical clearance has been fixed at the normal water level plus 4 m.
