Kovalam–Akkulam Canal Widening Nears Launch as Land, Funding Processes Advance

After so many years of delay in the construction of the Kovalam-Akkulam stretch widening of Parvathy Puthanar, the project has finally crossed all stages of land acquisition, rehabilitation, and financing, to be on the eve of actual implementation.

This is a critical stretch of the proposed Kovalam-Bekal waterway project. Therefore, constructing this stretch is crucial for enhancing connectivity from Kovalam through Thiruvananthapuram to Akkulam. Portions of the refurbished canal are expected to provide some relief to intercity passenger movement and ecology-friendly freight transport on Kerala’s sprawling inland waterways.

Thus, Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd. (KWIL), the executing agency, is now just waiting to receive clearance for a financial sanction from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), which is expected, it could be said, by December. Tendering for the work on widening ought to begin in January 2026.

“The canal project is prepared to acquire 986 ares of land-with the financial aid of ₹124.74 crore from KIIFB,” a KWIL official confirmed. Surveys and notifications have taken place in several villages. More land will be acquired at the Kovalam boat jetty and Panathura for the continuity of the stretch.

The entire cost of the project is pegged at ₹183.5 crore, according to DPR, by NATPAC. This retains walls, such as jetties, bridges, and landscaping, making the canal not only navigable but also open to tourists.

The project attaches itself both economically and ecologically. New avenues are seen for creating space in tourism now, even as it reduces road traffic and pollution that will come about, cutting modal shift in freight to waterways. This canal is a key chord of an overall Kovalam–Bekal waterway, seen as a backbone of the integrated water transport system in Kerala.

If everything goes as per approvals and tendering, real widening work will start by 2026, thus bringing to fruition a long-time dream of a project built by Thiruvananthapuram’s waterways into reality.