Cabinet nod for ₹3716.10-crore revised estimate for IURWTS in Kochi

Kochi's Integrated Urban Regeneration & Water Transport System aims to revive canals, reduce flooding, & improve water supply.

The State Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod for implementing the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) in Kochi, aimed at reviving six canals, at a revised estimate of ₹3,716.10 crore.

The project was aimed at making the canals navigable and finding a lasting solution to flooding in the city areas during the rainy season, the Chief Minister’s office said, adding that administrative nod had been given subject to certain conditions. Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) will continue as the special purpose vehicle for the initiative. The Kerala Water Authority has been appointed as the implementation agency for the sewerage components. Funding for the project will be ensured through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and the National River Conservation Directorate.

The six major canals in and around Kochi city that are to be revived under the initiative are Edappally canal, Chilavannoor canal, Thevara-Perandoor canal, Thevara canal, Market canal, and Konthuruthy canal. The clamour for reviving these once-navigable canals had increased after the city neighbourhoods and major roads experienced severe flooding in the monsoons a few years ago.

However, the project had hit rough weather on account of the inordinate delay in clearing encroachments and water weeds from the canals and the unchecked dumping of waste into them. The KIIFB had increased the project’s outlay from the initial ₹1,528 crore to ₹3,853 crore in November 2023.

A February 2020 report by KMRL on IURWTS for Kochi had observed that “as in the case of the road network, the waterways in Kochi also have a predominantly grid iron pattern. Proper maintenance of these waterways could help to develop a majority of the available areas into waterway-accessible areas and thus develop an alternative mass rapid transit system for the city, thereby taking some load off the already congested roads.”

Wednesday’s Cabinet cleared a ₹ 22.11-crore tender for constructing a water treatment plant (WTP) for improving water supply to two panchayats in Ernakulam district. The water supply project is designed to supply 20 million litres a day (mld) to the Karumalloor and Kunnukara panchayats. The works include a WTP, tank and allied structures.