God’s own country, Kerala is transformed into a carbon-neutral state in 2023 through one of Kerala’s dream projects, the Kochi Water Metro. It is also a tribute to our Indian Nation. This water metro is not only India’s first water metro, but it is also the first of its kind, as an integrated water transport system, of size and capacity in Asia as well. Kerala is a proud state today, in turn making the country proud. This is a double whammy for Kerala, alongside being the first to introduce a water metro, this achievement transforms Kerala into a carbon-neutral state.
It is not the first time that Kerala is using water transport. It has been there for ages since Kerala, God’s own country, is beautiful with its landscape, backwaters, flora, and fauna. Water transport is an attractive piece for tourists to enjoy the backwaters and the beaches. Currently, the Government of Kerala State’s vision is to make use of the waterways effectively and efficiently by re-inventing the dwindled potential of existing water transport, in tune with contemporary times, and making conveyance easy and better for all at large. As part of the project, the National Waterways are renovated, to operationalize Kochi Water Metro, through a variety of focused interventions to give the public at large, a comfortable, affordable, and modern transport system.
The Kerala state government claims that the funds for this project were raised through direct funding from the Kerala government and the rest from loans acquired through an investment and development bank (KfW), which is a German state-owned bank that funds climate-resilient green infrastructures. The first phase of this seamless public transport was inaugurated on 25th April 2023, that is clean, green, quick, and cheap and is operating in the local (Vypin, Vyttila, and Kakkanad) stretch of Kochi, Kerala. It is said that from the High Court Kochi to Vypin for anyone using this water metro, takes only 20 minutes, and easily avoids the road traffic maze, while Kakkanad to Vyttila takes 25 minutes and the minimum rate for the ticket is kept at Rs 20/- barely, for a scenic journey and escape from the traffic snarl. They also offer passes (weekly, monthly, or quarterly) for frequent travelers. There is an app named Kochi1card, for easy access and digital usage, and claims as a user-friendly app.
This successful project of the Kochi water metro, once fully operational can boast about 78 boats to ply between 38 terminals and 10 islands. These boats are built by Cochin Shipyard, through cutting-edge, innovative designs, using lightweight materials like aluminum catamaran hulls and FRP superstructures. The batteries of these boats are made of lithium titanate oxide known for its’ long life. They can be charged quickly and are available commercially and safe to use. There is an operating control system that uses the latest navigation and communication equipment to monitor and control these boats. Thus this electric and hybrid boat with AC, in the Kochi Water Metro, is claimed to be safe and convenient, and comfortable at a very minimal price for public conveyance and is receiving international acclaim. Kochi Water Metro, last year received the prestigious Gussies Award from France for being the best commercial passenger electric boat in the world. For equity and inclusion, these boats and their design caters to the smooth movement of differently-abled people. The terminals are ensured to be on the same levels as that of the boats all the time by floating pontoons, taking into consideration, the low and high tides.
Kochi is traditionally known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea and is often referred to as the commercial capital of Kerala. The Queen of the Arabia Sea has ten islands in and around Kochi. These islands in Kochi city are fully inhabited and often islanders commute to Kochi mainland for their regular and major needs, to educational institutions, livelihood, and also for healthcare. Though water transport was available the water services that connected the city and the islands were inadequate and so were the number of boats. That being so, this Kochi Water Metro, is an answer to this Water transport connectivity.
Kerala, through this project, has also taken care of the socio-economic conditions, for the construction of this water metro transport system, by using environment-friendly, renewable sources of energy and is sustainable with the unique design of the boats and very little or manageable wave activity so that it does not disturb the water bodies or the flora and fauna. The other advantage of this Kochi Water Metro is that it does not require more land use or vast infrastructure, thus protecting the ecosystem of the lakes. The Kerala state’s first phase of Kochi Water Metro can accommodate 34000 passengers, and this is definitely going to help the road commuters by relieving them of the traffic snarl and also helps the reduction of Kochi City’s Carbon footprint. The State Government claims that this water metro can reduce 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Thus, the state can be proud to be a carbon-neutral state and make India proud in tune with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG, 2030).
The Kerala State Government promises, that Kochi Water Metro will have the largest fleet of electric boats once this project is fully operational with an organized water transport system, that is environment friendly and this model is adaptable to at least 40 other cities in India.
Kerala has been a model for the Globe, in the field of healthcare (during the pandemic of 2019), and also in other fields, such as education, welfare, and technology, and now Kerala is emerging as a new model for urban water transport, into the arena of novel public transport systems through commendable transformation, and as a carbon neutral state. Nava Keralam (New Kerala) is the transformation dream project of Kerala state. In April 2023, PM Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the sail. When the Kochi Water Metro is setting sail, for every Keralite, it is a dream come true.