High demand for water transport in Kerala

Kochi: While life in the city has become miserable due to severe traffic congestion and potholed roads, public demand for a better water transport network is getting louder. Germany based KFW Bank, which recently promised 200 million Euros for the improving the city’s urban transport sector, will give an impetus to water transport.

Water transport is one the most feasible modes of transport for the city, due to the wide network of canals and inland waterways. However, several reports prepared by national and international agencies to improve water transport sector have been gathering dust in the corporation office, for years. Proposals to augment water transport like modernization of vessels, jetties, planned routes and timings still remain on paper.

“If a few recommendations of the studies had been implemented, it would have changed the face of public transport in the city. It is time high speed and modern vessels are introduced on traditional ferry routes and new routes incorporated,” said K.J. Sohan, chairman, town planning committee.

Some of the agencies which have conducted studies on urban transport sectors are National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), RITES,
WAPCOS, INKEL, Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA), Global Works and Will Bur Smith Associates. Apart from this, C. Raju, former chief engineer of Konkan Railway had prepared a comprehensive City Mobility Plan for the corporation.

The CDIA’s report in 2010 had proposed developing of network of ferry services connecting suburban areas to city centres and making maximum use of the canal and inland waterways for transport. One of the major proposals of the report was to launch special type of catamaran called ‘Kochi Cats’, which could be used for smooth and fast ferry services between the islands.