KOCHI: With the double aim of easing traffic congestion and increasing the tourist potential of the picturesque Kadambrayar region, an ambitious proposal for a waterway has been submitted for approval. The proposal for the waterway from Chitrapuzha to Kadamprayar was submitted to the government by District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth on Wednesday. “The `11-crore project will cover an 18-km stretch from Infopark jetty to Kadambrayar eco-tourism terminal,” he said. The river-front has a vast tourism potential, and the waterway will be a further boost to this. The passenger service can also serve to ease traffic congestion to a great extent. “Kadambrayar is a freshwater river and only eco-friendly methods will be employed. Retaining walls will be built only in areas where they are absolutely necessary, else, trees will be planted,” the Collector said.But the task is a big challenge, as the stretch is filled with garbage and water hyacinth. Dredging will have to done to a depth of atleast 6 metres. This will be done using modern methods, so that silt can be dumped on vacant lands directly.Four to five jetties have been proposed on the stretch, with nets at entry and exit points in order to keep water hyacinths at bay.Only speed boats will be used and all the boats will be eco-frienly, using LPG fuel. The waterway will touch Vytilla, making travel easier for commuters on that route. A trial boat run on the stretch was done recently.An 8-sqkm freshwater storage basin will also be set up in Kadambrayar, Pareeth said. The waterway was initially planned up to Nedumbassery earlier, but owing to technical hurdles, it was truncated. A walkway up to Wonderla, over which flyovers will be built, is also part of the tourism project.“The connectivity to Wonderla will help domestic tourists to make use of the facility. If the waterway is fully developed, it will certainly boost tourism in Kadambrayar,” said T N Jayashakar, Secretary, District Tourism Promotion Council.
Comments
0 comment