Renovated Chilakoor Tunnel a key link in Akkulam-Chettuva Waterway
Trivandrum / February 25, 2026
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb. 25: Renovation of the 19th century-built Chilakoor Tunnel, as part of the Akkulam-Chettuva Waterway project phase-one to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan tomorrow (February 26), marks a key link in Kerala’s world class inland navigation ecosystem.
Completed in 1876 as a major engineering initiative of the Kingdom of Travancore, the tunnel near Varkala connected southern and northern waterways, overcoming the bottleneck in trade and passenger movement.
The renovation project has turned the Chilakoor Tunnel into a world class navigable water corridor for smooth passage of passenger boats and freight carriers, ramping up the multi-modal logistic infrastructure and water-based tourism.
The tunnel renovation work has been carried out by Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Limited (KWIL), a joint venture of the state government and the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).
Ahead of the tunnel construction in erstwhile Travancore, a waterway was created in early 19th century from Vallakkadavu in Thiruvananthapuram to the Sivagiri hill near Varkala by linking the backwater system and canals. This was named ‘Paravathi Puthanar’, after the then Regent Gowri Parvathi Bayi. Taking the inland water way beyond the Sivagiri hill was a big challenge, which was subsequently overcome by the construction of two tunnels near Varkala during the reign of Rama Varma.
While the Sivagiri Tunnel is 722 metres long the Chilakoor Tunnel extends to 340 metres. These tunnels had facilitated passage of country boats carrying agriculture produce and traditional industrial products like coir to key markets within and outside the kingdom.
With the advent of road and rail networks, the importance of the water way as the driver of the economy dwindled. However, the potential of inland water ways was realized later, leading to their revival on modern logistical lines gaining traction, with Kerala figuring as pioneering state in that direction.
The tunnel at Varkala was in use till the 1960s, before they started getting clogged with silt and clusters of water plants, making it difficult for larger vessels to pass through. In 2006-07, a scheme to desilt the canal to facilitate movement of smaller boats was launched. The then Chief Minister late V S Achuthanandan made a boat ride through the tunnel to highlight the importance of the project under way.
In 2018, the state government launched the West Coast Canal project to develop an end-to-end inland navigation waterway. In 2021-22 the master plan of the project was drawn up and Rs 2556 crore sanctioned through KIIFB, the state’s infrastructure funding agency.
The 616 km Kovalam-Bekal water way is envisaged as a unique project that will set a model for the entire country on account of its upfront vision, KWIL Director Shri S Suhas said.
The 280-km Akkulam-Chettuva Waterway is part of the 616-km Kovalam–Bekal waterway project, a milestone in Kerala’s inland waterways development, scaling up the state’s standing as a multi-modal logistic hub and boosting the state’s water-based tourism potential.
Ends
