The project to dredge a channel connecting the Bay of Bengal with the Gulf of Mannar, called the Sethusamudram project, is mired in controversy. In a four-part series, Mint looks at the real issues related to the project. Part 1 on Monday looked at the status of the project as well as the lack of information on all its aspects, including costs.
New Delhi: The sea came that morning of December 2004. The wave entered the sea strip between India and Sri Lanka, ready to gain strength and fury as it funnelled through the narrow straits. But it met something it did not expect: Adam’s Bridge (or Ram Sethu). This chain of coral islets made of rock and sand deflected the tidal wave back into open sea. The wave was forced to find a route around Sri Lanka and by the time it reached coastal Kerala on the other side, it had lost much of its potency.
“That chain of coral islets saved coastal Kerala that day,” says Tad Satyam Murty, former president of the International Tsunami Society and a tsunami consultant to the Indian government.
Murty has been looking at the Sethusamudram project since January 2005 and is disturbed by it. The project, which is about to break this bridge of islets to make way for a channel linking the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar (saving 24 hours of passage for ships circumnavigating India), could be a dangerous one, he believes. He is not alone. Many scientists from different disciplines say not enough research has been done before starting this project.
Geologists say there are active volcanoes and moving tectonic plates in the region. Ecologists claim the bridge checks the rough seas of the Bay of Bengal to create a haven for marine life. Mariners argue the channel is a disaster management nightmare. If a ship runs aground, there is no system to extricate it and clear the channel. Scientists formerly associated with organizations such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Indian Rare Earths are wondering why their organizations have not been consulted on this project.
Tsunami trouble
Experts say the effect of the 2004 tsunami was cushioned by Adam’s Bridge (circled)
Scientists and non-governmental organizations are agitated because no detailed post-tsunami studies have been done. “This physical bridge saved thousands of lives in 2004,” says R. Gopala-krishnan, former GSI director, who says he spends his days poring over old maps, evaluating this project, and hassling scientist friends at his old workplace for more maps, data and numbers.