Indian ship canal threatens Sri Lankan ecology by Damitha Hemachandra (13 September 2004)
When great Tamil poet Bharathi conceived of "constructing a road by rising Sethu" in his famous poem Sindhu Nadhein Isai, he surely did not consider its environmental impact but now the potential reality of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) is endangering the Jaffna Peninsular and Gulf of Mannar.
The green light given by the Indian government on September 2 and further applause from the Tamilnadu Chief Minister, Jeyaram Jayalalitha, is increasing pressures on the Sri Lankan government to take immediate steps to save nearly a quarter of the island. According to Sri Lankan environmentalists the 50 billion rupee SSCP project, which involves the development of a navigable channel from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal through Palk bay, could threaten the fragile coastline of Gulf of Mannar.
Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) spokesman Vinod Munasinghe said that the heavy dredging required to create the shipping canal through the Rameswaram Island could disturb the water balance of the Jaffna Peninsula and threaten the fragile coast line of the Gulf of Mannar. "The geography of the Gulf of Mannar and the seabed around is very shallow and the Adam's Bridge which stretches through Palk Strait too is a very shallow sand dune. These shallow sand dunes act as a barrier against the water flow". The EFL spokesman added that dredging these sand barriers to create a 12.8x300m two-way channel could make the Sri Lankan shores and Gulf of Mannar more vulnerable to sea erosion.
According to Mr. Munasinghe sea erosion isn’t the worst problem in store for the Jaffna Peninsular. "The water levels of the Jaffna peninsula are lower than the sea level and heavy dredging could disturb the water system of the peninsula. There is a threat of ground water in the Jaffna Peninsular turning saline with the construction of the channel," he said, adding that movement of ships so close to land with very sensitive geology could create heavy water thrusts increasing the threat of sea erosion.
"The main problem with the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Sethusamudram project is that it does not involve Sri Lanka, one of the biggest stakeholders. Although an EIA is meant to consult all the risk holders of a project the National Environment Engineering research Institute of Nagpur had failed to consult the Sri Lankan government on its implications towards Sri Lanka", Mr. Munasinghe said.
The project proposes the development of a ship canal to connect the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, enabling movement of ships between the East and West coast of India through a continuous navigable sea route around the peninsula within India's own territorial waters. The channel will save about 400 nautical miles and up to 36 hours of sailing time for ships between the East and the West coasts.
The green light given by the Indian government on September 2 and further applause from the Tamilnadu Chief Minister, Jeyaram Jayalalitha, is increasing pressures on the Sri Lankan government to take immediate steps to save nearly a quarter of the island. According to Sri Lankan environmentalists the 50 billion rupee SSCP project, which involves the development of a navigable channel from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal through Palk bay, could threaten the fragile coastline of Gulf of Mannar.
Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) spokesman Vinod Munasinghe said that the heavy dredging required to create the shipping canal through the Rameswaram Island could disturb the water balance of the Jaffna Peninsula and threaten the fragile coast line of the Gulf of Mannar. "The geography of the Gulf of Mannar and the seabed around is very shallow and the Adam's Bridge which stretches through Palk Strait too is a very shallow sand dune. These shallow sand dunes act as a barrier against the water flow". The EFL spokesman added that dredging these sand barriers to create a 12.8x300m two-way channel could make the Sri Lankan shores and Gulf of Mannar more vulnerable to sea erosion.
According to Mr. Munasinghe sea erosion isn’t the worst problem in store for the Jaffna Peninsular. "The water levels of the Jaffna peninsula are lower than the sea level and heavy dredging could disturb the water system of the peninsula. There is a threat of ground water in the Jaffna Peninsular turning saline with the construction of the channel," he said, adding that movement of ships so close to land with very sensitive geology could create heavy water thrusts increasing the threat of sea erosion.
"The main problem with the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Sethusamudram project is that it does not involve Sri Lanka, one of the biggest stakeholders. Although an EIA is meant to consult all the risk holders of a project the National Environment Engineering research Institute of Nagpur had failed to consult the Sri Lankan government on its implications towards Sri Lanka", Mr. Munasinghe said.
The project proposes the development of a ship canal to connect the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, enabling movement of ships between the East and West coast of India through a continuous navigable sea route around the peninsula within India's own territorial waters. The channel will save about 400 nautical miles and up to 36 hours of sailing time for ships between the East and the West coasts.
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