THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Efforts are in full swing to link the National Waterways further south by restoring the Anantha-Victoria-Marthandam Canal or AVM Canal that was constructed in the 1800s to connect Kovalam and Kanyakumari. The Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department has engaged NATPAC (National Transportation Planning and Research Centre) to carry out a feasibility study to develop and restore the canal that has remained neglected for decades. The canal was constructed during the Travancore era to connect northern Kerala with Kanyakumari. The National Waterways Act of 2016 declared the AVM canal as the National Waterway 13 of India.
