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Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal through the shallow sea sometimes called Setu Samudram, and through the island chain of Rama's Bridge, also known as Adam's Bridge. This would provide a continuous navigable sea route around the Indian Peninsula. The project involves digging a 44.9 nautical mile (83 km) long deepwater channel linking the shallow water of the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar. Conceived as early as 1860 by Alfred Dundas Taylor, it recently received approval of the Indian government. Government of India plans to break limestone shoals called Adam's Bridge or Ram sethu as part of implementation of this project. Few Organizations are opposing damage to Ramasethu on religious,environmental and economical grounds. Many of these parties or organizations support implementation of this project using alternative alignment without damaging a structure considered as sacred one by Hindus. The Palk Strait is a 40-85 mi (64-137 km) wide strait that lies between India and Sri Lanka between Dhanushkodi, near Rameswaram in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, and Talaimannar in the Mannar island in Sri Lanka. ...
The Gulf of Mannar is an arm of the Indian Ocean, lying between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka at a width of between 160 and 200 km (100 to 125 mi). ...
For other uses, see Canal (disambiguation). ...
Setu Samudram is a Tamil name, that translates as Setu Sea. ...
Ramas Bridge, also called Nalas Bridge and Adams Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. ...
Map of Adams Bridge and environs Landsat 5 image of Adams Bridge Adams Bridge (Tamil: ), also known as Ram Setu (from Sanskrit: , Tamil:இராமர௠பாலம௠)[1] meaning Ramas Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the...
A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ...
The Palk Strait is a 40-85 mi (64-137 km) wide strait that lies between Indias Tamil Nadu state and the island nation of Sri Lanka. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
Map of Adams Bridge and environs Landsat 5 image of Adams Bridge Adams Bridge (Tamil: ), also known as Ram Setu (from Sanskrit: , Tamil:இராமர௠பாலம௠)[1] meaning Ramas Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the...
Map of Adams Bridge and environs Landsat 5 image of Adams Bridge Adams Bridge (Tamil: ), also known as Ram Setu (from Sanskrit: , Tamil:இராமர௠பாலம௠)[1] meaning Ramas Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the...
History
Due to shallow waters, Sethusamudram presents a formidable hindrance to navigation through the Palk strait. Though trade across the India-Sri Lanka divide has been active since at least the first millennium BCE, it has been limited to small boats and dinghies. Larger ocean going vessels from the West have had to navigate around Sri Lanka to reach India' eastern coast.[1] Eminent British geographer Major James Rennell, who surveyed the region as a young officer in late eighteenth century, suggested that a "navigable passage could be maintained by dredging the strait of Ramisseram [sic]". However little notice was given to his proposal, perhaps because it came from "so young and unknown an officer", and the idea was only revived 60 years later.[2] Efforts were made in 1838 to dredge the canal, but did not succeed in keeping the passage navigable for any vessels except those with a shallow draft. [3] James Rennell (December 3, 1742 - March 29, 1830) was a British geographer. ...
// For other uses, see Dredge (disambiguation). ...
Possibly conceived in 1860 by Commander A. D. Taylor of the Indian Marines,[citation needed] the project has been reviewed many times over the years but no decision was ever made. It was part of the election manifestos of all political parties during elections. The Union Government of India appointed the Sethu Samudram Project Committee in 1955, headed by Dr. A. Ramasamy Mudaliar, which was charged with the duty of examining the desirability of the project. After evaluating the costs and benefits, this committee found the project feasible and viable. Several reviews of the proposals followed. Finally, the United Progressive Alliance Government of India headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the inauguration of the project on June 2, 2005. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
This article is about the Prime Minister of India. ...
is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Benefits The strategic advantages to India derive from obtaining a navigable sea route close to the coast, with a reduction in travel distance of more than 350 nautical miles (650 km) (for larger ships). The project is expected to provide a boost to the economic and industrial development of coastal Tamil Nadu. The project will be of particular significance to Tuticorin harbour, which has the potential to transform itself into a nodal port. The State Government has announced its proposal to develop 13 minor ports, including Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi, Valinokam, Kolachel and Kanyakumari. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...
Thoothukudi (தூத்துக்குடி in Tamil), also known as Tuticorin is a city and district in Tamil Nadu, India. ...
, Cuddalore (Tamil: கடலூரà¯) is a fast growing industrial city and headquarters of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ...
Nagapattinam (formerly known as Negapatam and also as Shiva Rajadhani) is a small city with a population of about 100,000, located in coastal Tamil Nadu, India. ...
Thondi is a panchayat town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...
Kolachel (Colachael) is a port on the Malabar coast, 20 km north of Kanya kumari(Cape Comorin), the southernmost tip of peninsular India. ...
For other uses, see Kanyakumari (disambiguation). ...
Development of the canal and ports is also expected to provide increased maritime security for Tamil Nadu.
Issues to be resolved
Economic Many naval hydrographers and experts suggest that the project is unlikely to be financially viable or serve ships in any significant way. The savings for ships that originate from Kanyakumari or Tuticorin is between 10 and 30 hours. For ships from other destinations like the Middle East, Africa, Mauritius and Europe,the average savings by using this canal is just 8 hours.
At the present tariff rates, ships from Africa and Europe will lose $ 4,992 on every voyage[1], as the savings in time for these ships are considerably lower that what is calculated in the DPR. This loss is significant as 65% of the projected users of the canal are those from Africa and Europe. If tariffs are lowered to a point where ships from Africa and Europe will not lose any money from using the canal, the IRR of the project falls to 2.6%[2]. This is a level at which even public infrastructure projects are rejected by the government.
Environmental This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (tagged since September 2007) | Though there has been a demand from various quarters for the implementation of the project, there is also opposition to it from environmentalists. They point out that the dredging of the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, by modifying habitats, could affect the ecology of the zone by changing currents. This could: Environmentalism is activism aimed at improving the environment, particularly nature. ...
The Palk Strait is a 40-85 mi (64-137 km) wide strait that lies between Indias Tamil Nadu state and the island nation of Sri Lanka. ...
The Gulf of Mannar is an arm of the Indian Ocean, lying between the southern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka at a width of between 160 and 200 km (100 to 125 mi). ...
For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...
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- cause changes in temperature, salinity, turbidity and flow of nutrients
- cause oilspills from ship and other marine pollution to reach the coastal areas and specifically the sensitive ecosystems of the Gulf of Mannar
- lead to higher tides and to more energetic waves, and hence to coastal erosion.
- affect the local sea temperature and thereby alter the pattern of sea-breezes and hence affect rainfall patterns.
They also point out that dredging the canal would stir up sediment the dust and toxins that lie beneath the sea bed, smothering corals and affecting marine life. The emptying of bilge water from ships travelling through the hitherto impassable areas could diperse invasive species through the ecosystems of the area. This article is about tides in the ocean. ...
Many stretches of the coastline of East Anglia, England, are prone to high rates of erosion, as illustrated by this collapsed section of the cliffs at Hunstanton, Norfolk. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
For a list of biologically injurious substances, including toxins and other materials, as well as their effects, see poison. ...
Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ...
Water which leaks into a ship. ...
Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ...
These effects could endanger precious marine species and wealth. The Gulf of Mannar has 3,600 species of plants and animals and is India's biologically richest coastal region.[citation needed] Mammal species which abound in the area are sperm whales, dolphins and dugongs. The Gulf of Mannar is especially known for its corals: the portion in Indian territorial waters has 117 species of corals, belonging to 37 genera.[citation needed] Associated with these ecosystems are many varieties of fish and crustaceans. Marine life on the Sri Lankan side, which is better protected, is even richer. The Bar Reef off the Kalpitiya peninsular alone has 156 species of coral and 283 of fish[citation needed]; there are two other coral reef systems around Mannar and Jaffna. There are extensive banks of oysters, as well as Indian Chank and Sea Cucumbers, especially in the seas adjacent to Mannar. The pearl fisheries south of Mannar, which inspired Georges Bizet's opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles, have not been productive for many years, indicating the fragility of these ecosystems in the face of overfishing and of relatively minor changes in the habitat. For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ...
Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex...
Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Sperm Whale range (in blue) The Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all toothed whales and is the largest toothed animal alive, measuring up to 18 metres (60 ft) long. ...
Genera See article below. ...
Binomial name (Müller, 1776) Natural range of . ...
A coral reef can be an oasis of marine life. ...
For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ...
In ecology, an ecosystem is a community of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms - also referred as biocenose) together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a unit. ...
Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ...
The Bar Reef is a system of coral reefs just offshore from Sri Lankas Kalpitiya peninsula. ...
Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838 – June 3, 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the romantic era. ...
This article is about Opera, the art form. ...
Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearlfishers) is a three-act opera by Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michael Carré. While not nearly as popular as his far more famous Carmen, it contains a wealth of attractive music and has found some popularity despite its...
Despite these concerns, official environmental clearance has been given for the project. The contention that the Sethusamudram Canal will cut through coral reefs and disturb the ecology has been dismissed as a mistaken fear. Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ...
The Indian government has conducted various environmental studies which has concluded that such issues are overblown and not based on science. However, skeptics have noted that environmentalist objections remain, including:
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- the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out by the Indian government was done by a body inexperienced in projects of this nature, was insufficiently detailed and did not consult with all the stakeholders, which included the government and people on the southern side of the proposed project,
- no proper survey has been carried out of the sea bed to be dredged, and
- no proper scientific modelling of the effects of the project has been carried out.
After environmental objections were made in Sri Lanka, the Indian government decided to carry out modelling, but this had not been done before clearance had already been given for the project. A modelling exercise carried out by Sri Lanka's National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) indicated that the project would increase the water flow from the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar, disturbing the inland water balance as well as the ecosystems in the Gulf. [3] There have also been judicial observations against this project [4]. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an assessment of the likely influence a project may have on the environment. ...
A stakeholder is a person who holds money or other property while its owner is being determined. ...
Scientific modeling is the process of generating abstract or conceptual models. ...
Look up Bay of Bengal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
On July 2, 2005, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project amidst protests from fishermen and environmentalists. Nearly 600 were arrested. is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the Government of India. ...
This article is about the Prime Minister of India. ...
Political and economic There have been concerns that the dredging would increase the water flow, thus eroding and even submerging the western Jaffna coastline. However as the project is nearly 50 km from the coastline of Sri Lanka few geologists believe it will have any serious harm. Moreover some have chipped in saying that the economic benefits will be mutual for Sri Lanka as much as it is for India by reviving minor ports in Sri Lanka.
The underdeveloped region of Northern Srilanka is currently occupied by LTTE. Sethusamudram project could potentially allow economic benefits to this region. This is being viewed with mutual suspsicon of both Sri Lankan and Tamil leaders. Further it is expected that in addition to Colombo, new ports to be developed near Jaffna.
There has also been criticism expressed, on the basis that the project could damage relations with [Sri Lanka].
Religious Some claim that this land bridge is the site of the famous Rama's Bridge, making it a historical, religious and cultural monument of great significance. For this reason, many, including chief ministers of states[5], oppose the project.
Several claims and estimates have been made regarding the age of Rama's bridge and its relation to the Indian epic Ramayana.
Ramas Bridge, also called Nalas Bridge and Adams Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. ...
- Rama’s bridge is only 3,500 years old: CRS {Source: Indian Express}: "Ramasamy explains that the land/beaches were formed between Ramanathapuram and Pamban because of the long shore drifting currents which moved in an anti-clockwise direction in the north and clockwise direction in the south of Rameswaram and Talaimannar about 3,500 years ago. ... But as the carbon dating of the beaches roughly matches the dates of Ramayana, its link to the epic needs to be explored, he adds."[6]
- Rama Setu is NOT a natural formation: Dr. Badrinarayanan, former director of Geological Survey of India and a member of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) says the Rama's Bridge was not a natural formation."Such a natural formation is impossible. Unless somebody has transported them and dumped them there, those reefs could not have come there. Some boulders were so light that they could float on water."[7]
- The Geological Survey of India conducted a detailed survey of the area and concluded that the structure was a natural one. A premier institute had made 91 boreholes in and around the site to ascertain the truth and the soil samples kept at the Sethu Project Office could be verified." [8]
- Rama Setu IS a natural formation: American space agency NASA has said that the structure of sand bars and rocks situated in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, known as Ram Sethu in maps, is a natural phenomenon and not a man-made structure. This was announced on Saturday by N K Raghupathy, CEO, Sethusamudram Corp Ltd, at a press conference when he revealed the contents of an email received in this regard from NASA's Johnson Space Centre. A few days back, the company sent an email to NASA to know whether Ram Sethu was a man-made structure. "[9]
On July 25, 2007, Uma Bharti began a week-days fast protesting over the project saying that the historical bridge be saved. [4] Uma Bharti (born May 3, 1959, Madhya Pradesh, India) is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). ...
See also For other uses, see Suez (disambiguation). ...
Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...
Ramas Bridge, Nalas Bridge or Adams Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India. ...
References The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ...
Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...
is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
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