Tag: KOCHI

KERALA’S BIGGEST SOLAR FLOATING POWER PLANTS COMMISSIONED AT COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Cochin International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Kerala which handles about 10 million passenger movements in and out the state annually, is located at Nedumbassery in the outskirts of Cochin city. With the inauguration of a dedicated solar plant in 2015, Cochin International airport won the title of world’s first fully solar-powered airport. The CIAL solar power project comprises 92,150 solar panels laid across 94 acres, generating 100,000 units of electricity on a daily basis. The airport authority has been honoured with the Champion of Earth award by the United Nations in 2018 for their excellence in the large-scale introduction of sustainable energy sources.

On 17th January 2021, CIAL crossed yet another glorious milestone with the commission of one of the biggest floating solar power plants in Kerala. The cost-effective high-density polyethylene floats, using most modern French technology, are laid over two artificial lakes in the CIAL golf course. The floats consist of 1300 photovoltaic cells and have a capacity of 452 KWh helping the airport to produce around 1.60 lakh units of power a day as against its daily consumption stands around 1.30 lakh units, the authorities said.

CIAL sets an example of Total Sustainability Management by treating the sewage water for water harvesting in its golf course with the help of 12 artificial lakes. The water from these lakes was earlier used for irrigating the lawns but now with the installation of these floating solar panels, they have taken another step forward in sustainable and environment friendly resource management.

The Managing Director of CIAL, Mr V J Kurian said, “The pre-commissioning trials showed that these panels which cost around Rs 2 crore to the company are producing power with maximum output efficiency among the eight solar power plants installed by CIAL at various locations in the airport premises. CIAL has been reinventing itself since its formative days. One of our innovations which proved that relying upon green energy is possible even for the high energy consumers like an airport has won us the champions of the earth award instituted by the United Nations. We are committed to the protection of nature and trying our best to reduce carbon footprints.” 

The installation of floating solar panels are usually very expensive when compared to the ground-mounted and rooftop ones. CIAL was able to overcome these limitations and bring down the cost using the novel technology as the  French company CIEL TERRA provided technical assistance. The solar panels are also connected to the KSEB power grid which helps them to bank the excess energy produced.

KOCHI TO GET AN INFRASTRUCTURAL FACELIFT IN 2021

The year 2021 will be witnessing a grandiose infrastructural facelift of Kochi, the stupendous port city of Kerala. Kochi has undergone a massive transformation during the past decade, with the launch of Cochin International Airport, Cochin Shipyard, Infopark, Kochi Metro etc which has uplifted it from a tiny port city to a metropolitan urban city we see today. Enormous investment in the construction and expansion of roads and bridges has increased the pace of life in the city. 

With the inauguration of the Vytilla and Kundannor flyovers, the two major projects which Kochi has been anticipating for a long time; the city has kickstarted its infrastructural facelift of 2021. The Vytilla Kundanoor flyovers built under the supervision of  Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) are expected to reduce the traffic congestion at the busiest junctions of the city. With the completion of the Palarivattom flyover by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the coming months, commutation through and within the city will become facile.

The first phase of Kochi Water Metro, a project introduced as an alternative public transport system to reduce traffic congestion within the city with minimal pollution is expected to be completed by mid-2021 under the supervision of Kochi Metro Rail Limited. Kochi will become the first city in the country to have an integrated road, metro rail and water transport system under one roof with the launch of this project. The Phase I extension of the Kochi Metro to Tripunithura is expected to be completed this year. 

Efforts to resolve the waterlogging and flooding in Kochi during monsoon season as a follow up to Operation Breakthrough is said to begin in March 2021. Several innovative projects such as rooftop solar panel projects and Intelligent Traffic Management System have been rolled out by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CMRL). A walkway development project, an open-air theatre and renovation of Dutch Palace premises in the Fort Kochi area will also be carried out this year.

The Ernakulam Medical College Hospital was transformed earlier this year into a state-of-the-art healthcare hub that the state can be proud of. The commissioning of the GAIL pipeline in January by the Prime Minister marked a historical achievement as the city and the government had to tackle numerous hard knocks to make the project a reality. With the launch of numerous infrastructural and economically uplifting projects, Kochi is expected to become one of the leading metropolitan cities in the coming decade.

KOCHI WATER METRO PROJECT; FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE COUNTRY NEARS COMPLETION

Kochi, the bustling commercial port city of Kerala is witnessing a massive infrastructural and transportational facelift with enormous investment and technological upgrade. The inland water transport system which once served as the backbone of Kochi connecting its Islands and eyots, faced a severe decline in the past decade as people started depending more on land transportation facilities. The increase in the number of private vehicles on road demanded a return back to water transport as it is more energy and cost efficient. The Kochi Water Metro Project is introduced as an alternative public transport system to reduce the traffic congestion in the city with minimal pollution, providing the population along the city’s shores easy access to the commercial centres.

The Project aims at developing 15 identified water routes that connect 10 islands benefitting over 1,00,000 people by improving their livelihoods. This socially inclusive water transport system is expected to cover a total span of 78 km with a fleet of 78 fast, electrically propelled hybrid ferries plying to 38 jetties. Specially designed environment-friendly and energy-efficient boats equipped with advanced technology will be commissioned for the project. The boat services will start from major jetties between every 10 to 20 minutes; navigational buoys and night navigational assistance will also be ensured. The terminals are designed to have state-of-the-art facilities including automated fare collection and turnstile system for passenger counting. Pontoons(floating jetties) that adapt during high tide and low tide are built to facilitate easy boarding and deboarding for physically challenged personals.

In addition to the ferry services, the project integrates the waterway system with the city’s other public transport system and also intends the development of areas around the waterways through commercial property development along with tourism initiatives. As the project aims to be environment friendly,  the management of waterweed and floating waste will also be taken care of.

The construction activities of the water metro under the supervision of KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Limited) is progressing at a fast pace and the project is expected to be completed very soon. Almost 50 per cent of piling works of the high court boat jetty have been completed along with the construction of floating pontoons and other civil constructions. “Construction work on terminals at Vyttila and Kakkanad is in the final stage. Work is also progressing at Eloor, Cheranalloor, South Chittoor, Bolgatty, High Court, Vypeen, Mulavukad North, Paliyamthuruth and Kadamakkudy. Cochin Shipyard is expected to deliver the first boat soon,” a KMRL spokesperson said.

With the construction of the jetties at Kakkanad and Vyttila entering the final stage, the first ferry service under the water metro project is expected to be kick-started in this route in the upcoming months. The Cochin Shipyard has been delegated with the manufacturing of the specially designed ferries with different passenger capacities for the project. The water metro project is assumed to be completed within an expenditure limit of Rs.747 crore, excluding the land cost. Once the water metro project is completed, Kochi will become the first city in the country to have an integrated road, metro rail and water transport system under one roof.

TOD in India

 Indian cities face a multitude of issues such as severe congestion; deteriorating air quality; increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector; increasing road accidents; and an exploding growth in the number of private vehicles (largely motorcycles). With the urban population projected to more than double in the next generation, the situation could easily get out of control and thwart India’s economic development efforts unless remedial measures are soon taken. 

The state of public transport in the majority of Indian cities has degraded over the years. Rising population and underdeveloped mass transport has led to a rapid rise of personal vehicles, traffic congestion and an increase in pollution levels. Moreover, the majority of people do not use public transport simply because of the lack of it and inaccessibility to the transit. Therefore, while augmenting public transport, planning for accessibility is the need of the hour. Increased density and improved connectivity through TOD can help achieve that. But one of the most important reasons for thinking about TOD for Indian cities is the recent emphasis on public transport at all levels of government. Scholars have argued that transport sector in India is extremely energy intensive and needs massive investments in mass transit to quell the rise of private motorized mobility. 

Post the announcement of mission based programs like Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2005, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation, and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities in 2015, there has been huge emphasis on investments in public transport. Transit systems like metro rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) have found their way into many cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Hubli Dharwad, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur, Bhopal and Indore among many others. 

Some of these cities have gone on to leverage the huge potential accorded by the massive investments in public transit and prepared TOD plans for their cities. In western countries, TOD was used for densifying certain areas but in India the cities already have higher densities. Hence TOD in Indian cities should be looked at as a tool for improving quality of life and financial means to provide infrastructure facilities. India is taking steps towards achieving the TOD guidelines and designing a well-planned city for its people, making itself sustained and pedestrian friendly.