Six Years and Counting: Mattanchery Still Awaits SWTD Boat Services

It’s been six long years since regular boat services to the historic and tourist-favored Mattanchery were suspended, leaving both residents and tourists with no choice but to endure over an hour of road travel through congested traffic instead of a swift 20-minute boat journey. Despite the pressing need, the resumption of these boat services remains in limbo.

The root cause? Massive silt deposits in the backwater channel, a lingering aftermath of the 2018 floods. In response to the situation, the government had allocated Rs 4.5 crore for emergency dredging of the channel, intending to restore the services managed by the State Water Transport Department (SWTD). However, despite the passing of several years, the irrigation department has yet to issue the necessary completion certificate for the dredging work, leaving SWTD unable to relaunch the boat services, even though they currently have more boats than required.

“This Onam will be no different,” remarked Sujith M, the traffic superintendent of SWTD. “We won’t be able to start services to Mattanchery due to the absence of any communication from the irrigation department about the completion of the dredging work.” The superintendent further noted that while the department has an excess of boats, they’ve had to deploy them on the Fort Kochi route instead.

Boat services to Mattanchery were halted after several vessels sustained damage due to the shallow waters caused by the accumulated silt. The situation is particularly severe within a 100-meter radius of the Mattanchery jetty, especially towards Fort Kochi.

Plans are in place to extend some of the Fort Kochi services to Mattanchery and even introduce direct routes. However, these plans are stalled until the SWTD receives formal confirmation from the irrigation department that the dredging has been completed. “We’re expecting two additional boats next month, but without the green light from the irrigation department, we’re unsure where to deploy them,” the official added.

Residents have expressed frustration, accusing the irrigation department of failing to complete the dredging process. Meanwhile, the SWTD has invested Rs 78 lakh in renovating the Mattanchery boat terminal, which now sits unused due to the lack of operational services.

M. M. Abbas, president of the West Kochi Passengers’ Association, voiced his concerns: “The irrigation department handed over the dredging work to contractors, but it’s been dragging on endlessly. It’s a blatant waste of public funds.” Despite multiple attempts, officials from the irrigation department could not be reached for comment.

In contrast, a Water Metro official indicated progress, stating, “We have started the dredging of our designated channel. The work on the Mattanchery terminal is also nearing completion.” However, until the necessary clearances are obtained, the people of Mattanchery will have to continue waiting for the long-promised boat services to resume.