Waterway plan ready to ferry building materials
Andhra Pradesh government is planning for effective utilisation of National Waterway-4 to transport materials and goods for construction of capital city, Amaravati. The AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) is of the view that transport cost could be reduced by ferrying construction materials using waterway. The CRDA has prepared a detailed plan on transportation of materials through th
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh government is planning for effective utilisation of National Waterway-4 to transport materials and goods for construction of capital city, Amaravati. The AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) is of the view that transport cost could be reduced by ferrying construction materials using waterway. The CRDA has prepared a detailed plan on transportation of materials through the Krishna river using National Waterway-4 for a length of 1,095 km. The length is included on the Godavari river section and various canals of the Krishna river.
Transportation can be done through open barges and closed barges depending upon the type of material. According to sources, the CRDA is planning to procure around 2.91 crore cubic metres of sand, 3.10 crore CuM of gravel, 4 crore MT of flyash and other materials for construction of structures in capital city from various quarries and places in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Godavari districts. It is expected that the distance will be less in case of using national waterway comparing road stretch. For instance, the distance through roadway is 37 km from Jakkampudi to Amaravati via Kanakadurga Varadhi, but it may be 34 km via Krishna river. It is just 5 km between Rayapudi and Ibrahimpatnam.
However, the estimations of CRDA seems to be expensive to some extent in case of transportation of trucks, goods and other vehicles through barges. The CRDA is planning to arrange open barges for trucks and goods and closed barges for cars, bikes and passengers. The approximate charges estimated by the CRDA is Rs 2,000 for trucks, Rs 250 for cars and Rs 15 for passenger for a distance of 6 km.
The CRDA has identified lengths of individual stretches of Waterway-4 for transportation of construction materials. The length of Kakinada canal is 50 km, Eluru canal 139 km, Krishna river section 157 km, Godavari river section 171 km, Commamur canal 113 km, North Buckingham canal 316 km, South Buckingham canal 110 km and Marakkanam- Pondicherry section 22 km.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has set a target of December 2017 for the first cargo movement to take place on a stretch between Muktyala and Amaravati. Route maps have also been prepared for transport of materials through Krishna. A detailed report over villages alongside Krishna river and other areas and probable amount of available materials has also been submitted to the government. CRDA decided to procure ash from NTTPS in Ibrahimpatnam.
