INDIA: Tourism Corridor Opened With Canal Upgrade

There are immense opportunities to develop a tourism corridor, pilgrim circuit, and requisite infrastructure in the backwaters with the upgrading of 94 km of canals as National Waterways (NW).

The Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha canal, Alappuzha-Changanassery canal, and Kottayam-Vaikom canal — the feeder routes of NW III in the State — are the emerging corridors for tourism-related activities.

“The 94 km offers immense opportunities to the stakeholders in the tourism industry as it is ideal for houseboat operations. The requisite infrastructure can be created on either side,” says former Member (Technical), Inland Waterways Authority of India, R.M. Nair, who played a key role in getting them into the NW.

Making the 94-km stretch navigable again will help the State expand water transport and further boost its ambitious plan to divert cargo movement from roads to inland waterways.

The canals are expandable in the future and the possibility of linking them can be considered. Already, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping,Nitin Gadkari has hinted that funds would not be a problem. The stakes to create a pilgrim tourist circuit linking Mannanam, Athirapally, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom are on the higher side, he said.

Incidentally, the development of the inland waterways was taken up under the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) Phase I and the stretch was also included.

“The scheme was a failure as dredging was not included as a component of the KSTP. The needed vertical and horizontal clearances for the bridges and locks were not provided,” Mr. Nair, who reviewed the project for the WB later, said.

Based on the critical review, the National Transportation Planning and Research was asked to look into the feasibility of developing the four canals and to list it in the NW.

Only 1.3 km of the Alappuzha-Changancherry and 3 km of the Alappuzha-Kottayam canal pass through Vembanad Lake.

The Athirampuzha canal is wide enough for boat operation except the initial 3 km. The Kottayam-Vaikom canal, which begins near Kodimatha, culminates at Vechoor where it joins NW III.