The West Coast Canal from Kollam to Kottapuram along with Champakara and Udyogmandal canals (205 kms) - declared as National Waterway in 1993.

Fairway Development: - Fairway development works including maintenance dredging, and 24 hrs navigational aids are taken up on year to year basis. Accordingly, these works were taken up during 2007-08 also. Moreover, bank protection works in some stretches were completed during the year and for taking up more such works in critical areas the tenders were invited. Capital dredging for widening and deepening of canal between Kochi and Kollam was started in first phase during 1997-98. In Kochi - Kottapuram stretch, capital dredging was started in 2nd phase during September 2002. Work in Kochi-Allapuzha sector was completed and in Kochi-Kottapuram sector barring 4.83 Km dredging was completed in the entire stretch of 30 km. But in the remaining reaches, it got delayed due to various problems such as disposal of dredged material, fishing nets, local issues leading to contractual problems etc. Out of entire length of 205 km of the waterway, the total shoal length has been estimated as 87.16 km out of which 59.75 km has so far been dredged and 27.41 km remains to be dredged. The total quantity which was to be dredged for deepening the entire shoal length was worked out as 40.33 lakh m3 out of which 23.98 lakh m3 has been dredged and 16.35 lakh m3 remains to be dredged. For completion of this capital dredging (which also includes widening of the narrow sections which necessitates removal of boulders, coconut trees, old bank protection etc), tenders were floated during the year to cover entire scope of balance works and based on the tendered rates of various items, revised cost estimate was prepared at a cost of Rs 89.74 Cr and after its approval by IWAI Board, it was submitted to DoS for Government sanction which was awaited.

Terminals: Terminals at seven locations namely Kottapuram, Aluva, Maradu, Viakom, Taneermukham (Chertala), Trikkunnapuzha and Kayamkulam have already been provided and under PDO/PDC mechanism the PDO was entrusted the work of formulating a project for operation and maintenance of these terminals as a PPP project. The PDO had made a field visit and collected relevant data and they were in the process of formulating the project. Construction of 8th terminal at Kollam was entrusted to CPWD on deposit basis and the same was in progress. For providing facilities for mechanical handling at these terminals, 8 mobile cranes and 8 fork lifts were procured while procurement of 8 platform trucks for these terminals was in progress.

Navigational Aids: Project for providing and maintaining 24 hrs navigational aids by way of buoys and lights had been completed during the year and now the entire waterway has the facility for 24 hrs navigation.