INTEGRATED URBAN REGENERATION AND WATER TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN COCHIN PROJECT REPORT KOCHI METRO RAIL LIMITED 4th Floor, JLN Metro Station, Kaloor, Ernakulam - 682017 FEBRUARY 2020 IURWTS in Cochin CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. LOCATION OF THE PROJECT AREA 1 3. NEED FOR THE PROJECT 1 4. PROJECT AREA 2 5. CURRENT STATUS OF THE CANALS 4 5.1 Edapally Canal 4 5.2 Chilavanoor Canal 5 5.3 Thevara – Perandoor Canal 6 5.4 Thevara Canal 7 5.5 Market Canal 7 6. CONSTRAINTS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF CANAL 8 7. DATA COLLECTION 10 7.1 Water Quality Analysis 11 8. TRAVEL DEMAND ESTIMATION 11 9. PHASING OF CANAL DEVELOPMENT 12 10. ENGINEERING DESIGN 13 11. PROJECT COMPONENTS 14 11.1 Urban Regeneration 14 11.2 Slum Removal 14 11.3 Infrastructure development 15 11.4 Development of Navigation 16 11.4.1 Cleaning of canal 16 11.4.2 Dredging and Cutting 16 11.4.3 Bank protection 17 11.4.4 Jetty and Landings 18 11.4.5 Navigational Aids 18 11.4.6 Boat 19 11.5 Cross Structures 19 11.6 Sanitary Sewer Line 20 11.7 Sanitation Facilities 20 11.8 Beautification of Canal 21 12. LAND ACQUISITION 21 12.1 Details of Buildings to be acquired 21 12.2 Project Affected People (PAP) 22 13. COST ESTIMATE 22 14. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 23 15. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE 26 16. PROJECT BENEFITS 27 i IURWTS in Cochin INTEGRATED URBAN REGENERATION AND WATER TRANSPORT SYSTEM (IURWTS) IN COCHIN 1. INTRODUCTION Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) in line with the directives of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India is engaged in urban regeneration and developing the inland navigation system for Kochi. Under this task 5 major canals have been identified for urban regeneration of the canal banks and to provide free vessel movement along the canals with a seamless multi modal transportation connectivity system. This project report on Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transportation System for Kochi City is an outcome of the interest shown by Govt Of Kerala. The water metro routes proposed by KMRL are passing through the backwaters surrounding the main land connecting it with the islands. The rail metro stations are not directly connected with these water metro routes. In the current project, the proposal is for connecting the people residing by the sides of the canals passing through the mainland with the metro stations and water metro routes along with renovation of the waterways and related urban regeneration. 2. LOCATION OF THE PROJECT AREA The city of Kochi in Ernakulam district is located near the Lakshadweep Sea and is the commercial and industrial hub of Kerala. Geographically Kochi city is situated between Northern Latitude 9°58' and Eastern longitude 76°16'. The city is characterized by sandbars running in the North-South direction with tidal canals in between. The importance of Kochi in the region is evident from its population size and growth. Kochi Urban Agglomeration has a population of about 21.17 lakhs. It is the largest urban agglomeration in the state and is widely referred to as the commercial capital of Kerala. 3. NEED FOR THE PROJECT Inland Water Transportation (IWT) is, by all means, the most economical of all modes for transportation of people and cargo. One of the major components of the expenses incurred while providing infrastructure like roads and rail links is the component of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected people and property and construction of roads. However, in the case of waterways, such expenses are eliminated as the waterways are naturally available and only maintenance costs related to dredging are incurred. The amount of energy spent in manufacturing vessels required for transportation of specific tonnage of cargo or people is far lesser than that spent for developing roads and road carriers or rails and wagons. Besides, the issue of safety is taken care of better in IWT as compared to road or rail transport. The amount of pollution caused by inland vessels is only a fraction of that accounted by road or rail traffic. 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 can develop an alternative mass rapid transit system for the city, thereby taking some load off the already congested roads. 1 IURWTS in Cochin The basic requirements for IWT include water availability to a minimum depth all through the year. Depending upon tidal currents, there will be a need to ensure that the dilapidated canals are always properly desilted to afford the least available depth, encroachments removed, and the canals widths brought back to the original state by cutting the sides. This would help connectivity of the backwater transport systems with the inland water systems and help to bring more waterways getting connected to the mainland and improve the transportation facilities. For the IURWTS project to be successful the road bridges and foot bridges constructed and which does not comply with the navigable standards are proposed to be removed and reconstructed as part of this project.. The IWT sector is an investment-sensitive sector. The costs involved are cost of the vessels, fuel, crew salaries and maintenance costs. In order to keep the ferry services, assured patronage from the general public is a pre-requisite. In most cases, people will opt for ferry services if they have a choice since the riding quality and comfort are better than that offered by road transport. However, last mile connectivity is a major determinant and must be provided for people to travel from the original point of start of trip to the ferry station and from the station to the trip destination. Hence, while cost estimates are prepared for the travel by ferry, the cost of last mile connectivity must also be accounted for. The travel cost by waterways is comparatively less and only a fraction of the total money is to be spent towards bridging the last mile gap. Another important factor is the availability of access to feeder networks from the ferry station without getting exposed to the elements of weather. Intermodal coordination and integration is therefore a significant factor. The cost of development of waterways is comparatively lesser than that required for the development of road or rail infrastructure. Similarly the costs associated with maintenance for waterways are only about twenty percent of that required for roadways. In terms of efficiency of transportation, it has been found that IWT is far more fuel-efficient than transportation by roads or railways. One litre of fuel can move 24 tonne-km of cargo by road, 85 tonne-km by rail and 105 tonne-km by waterways. This assumes all the more importance in the wake of economy and environment concerns that govern the global discourse on transportation currently. Considering the fact that land acquisition is a tedious affair in Kerala, the importance of using the IWT assumes even more significance. Kochi being a historical port city has an elaborate network of navigable water channels. Water transport by means of traditional boats was a prime mode of movement from one island to another and to the Ernakulam mainland. However with extensive emphasis on improving road infrastructure, the water transport experienced a decline. So the study focuses on management of important canals and their surroundings in Kochi City for sustainable development of the region. Also the regeneration of the urban area by the side of the canals is another major focus. 4. PROJECT AREA The canals identified for the proposed project are Edappally Canal (11.23 km), Thevara – Perandoor Canal(11.15 km), Chilavanoor Canal (9.88 km), Thevara Canal (1.405 km) and Market Canal (0.664 2 IURWTS in Cochin km). Out of this, Edappally Canal, Thevara - Perandoor Canal and Chilavanoor Canal are three major canals in Kochi City aligned in the North - South direction, cutting across the heartland of Ernakulam main land. Edappally Canal provides an easy link between the two industrial hubs of Kochi namely - Udyogamandal and Ambalamugal. It is connecting the Muttar River, a branch of Periyar River on northern end and Chitrapuzha River on the Southern end. Improving this canal will facilitate to connect the Edappally Metro Station with the water bus route between Vyttila and Kakkanad. Chilavanoor canal and Thevara-Perandoor canal are also connected with Periyar River. The development of Thevara Canal will reduce the navigable distance between Kundannur and Venduruthy Backwaters. The Market Canal is passing through Broadway and the Market road - the commercial hub of the City - where the bulk of wholesale and retail activities of the city take place. The Marine Drive at the starting of the canal is a main tourist attraction. The development of these canals will facilitate passenger movement through waterways between metro stations and Metro waterway, in addition to augmentation of tourism potential of Kochi City. Figure 1 shows the project area map. 3 IURWTS in Cochin Figure-.1: Project Area Map 5. CURRENT STATUS OF THE CANALS 5.1 Edapally Canal Edapally canal starts from Muttar bridge and connects with Champakkara Canal (part of NW-3) near Eroor bridge its end point. Total length of the canal is 11.15km. Canal width varies from 28.72m (average) and depth ranges between 0.8m to 1.30m (average). Canal is highly silted and polluted by domestic waste, commercial waste, construction waste, weeds growth and other sources. There are 18 cross structures along the canal which included 15 road bridges, 2 rail bridges and one foot over 4 IURWTS in Cochin bridge.