'Hydrological report on National Waterway-4 by month-end'.

Hydrological studies for the National Waterway (NW)- 4 comprising Godavari and Krishna rivers and Buckingham canal, stretching over 1,078 km, are likely to be completed by March end.

Land survey and invitation of tenders for commencement of the works will follow the hydrological studies, and it is expected that entire process will be completed in a few months from now, according to government sources.

The Irrigation Department has taken up the canal hydrology study following the Centre's decision to develop the inland waterways through revival of the NW-4.

As of now, the canals don't have uniform bed width and depth that were required for inland waterways.

While the guidelines insist on a uniform depth of 2.5 metre and 40 metre bed width, the canals have depth up to 3.45 metre and width ranging from 15 to 56 metre. The width is 15 metre at Eluru, while it is 56 metre in the Guntur side. And, in Vijayawada it is between 25 and 26 metre, sources say.

The department will have to study the land available to bring uniformity, construct regulators, locks and etc to meet the guidelines.

Once the demarcation of land is completed, the tenders will be floated, sources say. Visakhapatnam MP Kambhampati Haribabu says that vessels with 1,000- tonne capacity can move through the NW-4 once it is completed.

The waterway provides for easy transportation of goods such as coal, rice, food grains, cement, fertilizers, forest produce, salt and other bulk cargo at a very low cost.

The project is expected to not only provide an economical mode of transport, but also catalyse the growth of the economy of the villages en route, he says.

The NW-4 runs along the Coromandal Coast through Kakinada, Eluru, Commanur and Buckingham canals connecting Kakinada with Puducherry.


THE HINDU