Kakinada-Puducherry Waterway’s initial traffic potential seen at 2.82 mt

The National Waterway 4 project, which has recently been put on the fast track by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), is estimated to have a traffic potential of 2.82 million tonnes by the time it is expected to go on stream in 2014-15.

Although the 1078 km long Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of waterway has been declared NW 4 mid-way through the Eleventh Plan, no funds had been allocated in the Plan for its development. Last week, the IWAI announced that it is keen on speeding up the project, with plans to appoint a new consultant and seeking aid from the Asian Development Bank.

Initial traffic projections estimate the traffic flow to increase to 4.85 million tonnes by 2019-20 and 9.82 million tonnes by 2029-30. The principal cargoes that the canal is likely to carry include coal, limestone, cement, fertilisers, paddy, tobacco, oil seeds, pulses and chillies.

The initial DPR prepared last year by a private firm has estimated the total cargo potential (by all modes of transportation) in the hinterland to be 27.62 million tonnes.

The canal system has been identified as an effective link between Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh and Markanam, near Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, joining Kakinada, Eluru, Commamur and Buckingham canals. The cost of the project has been pegged at about Rs 1500 crore.

As per the DPR, the least available depth in Godavari river between Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry, covering about 170 kms, is between 0.5 to 1.5 mts in the “leanest period”, marked by narrow and meandering conditions near Pollavaram. The river portion between Bhadrachalam and Rajahmundry is navigable by country boats and motor launches of about 40 tone capacity, which require a minimum draft of 1.2 mts.

The Kakinada canal is also known to have adequate flow for navigation, except in certain tail reaches, while the 113 km long Commamur canal from Vijaywada Seethanagaram lock to Peddaganjam lock is depended on release of water from Prakasam Barrage and is navigable at a depth of 1.6 mts for a period of seven to eight months.

As the canals have remained in a state of disuse for navigation for the last few decades, the DPR estimates a dredging requirement of about 20 million cub mtr, including 0.11 million cubic meter of rock.