Sethu Samudram will spell doom to Indian coast

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, June 11: Major cities like Chennai, Pondicherry,Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Puri may become part of maritime history buried in Bay of Bengal. Rameswaram and most of the small towns andvillages along the east coast might vanish from the map before the turn ofthe century. All due to unprecedented sand erosion that the proposed Sethusamudram Ship channel Project, (SSCP) will trigger once it wascompleted. This dire projection is the result of studies made by citybased marine expert Bandaru Venkata Audinarayana, a retired AssistantGarrison Engineer in Military Engineering Services. The scientist alsopredicts that prestigious coast guard projects at Ramnad, Mandapam andParadeep may be eaten away by sea, INS Kalinga, and Sri Hari Kota may be eroded by sea, INS Chilka, and the Chilika Lake may become a part of Bayof Bengal over a period of 30 to 60 years.Audinarayana worked on many naval dockyard projects and had been studyingthe SSCP since many years. He said that once the Rama Sethu/Adams Bridge slashed to pave the way for the completion of the project, sand from theeast coast would be eroded by the Indian Ocean in larger quantities thanbefore the project was completed. Abnormal sand erosion was also observed on the Vizag beach recently after the Sethu Samudram project started in2005. In April-May 2006 Visakhapatnam Port deepened the outer harbour andpumped the sand near Ramakrishna Beach.The SSCP entails cutting a canal to connect the Gulf of Mannar with the Palk Bay in order to shorten the sea route between the east and westcoasts of India. A submerged reef called the Adam's Bridge, which is alsoknown as Rama Sethu, believed to be constructed by Vanara Sena of lord Sri Rama between Pamban on the Rameswaram Island in Tamil Nadu and Talaimannarin Sri Lanka impeded the movement of ships between the Gulf of Mannar and
the Palk Bay. Consequently, ships make a detour, going around the Sri\n\u003cbr\>Lankan coast, to arrive at either side of the Indian coast. A channel\u003cbr\>dredged in the Palk Strait, within the territorial waters of India, would\u003cbr\>reduce not only the steaming distance but also the amount of fuel consumed\n\u003cbr\>by the ships.\u003cbr\>The approximately 280kms long and 25kms wide Rama Sethu was acting as a\u003cbr\>bund and stopping the sand flow into the Indian Ocean on the west coast. \u003cbr\>Now, however, the dredged sand has been washing onto the shore throughout\n\u003cbr\>the Vizag beach, building the sand zone. The sand now looks like a fort\u003cbr\>wall of 10-15 feet height. It was also observed this abnormal erosion has\u003cbr\>started after the SSCP dredging started.\u003cbr\>Work on the SSCP, which will connect the Gulf of Mannar with the Palk Bay,\n\u003cbr\>was commenced in 2005. Dredging began in the bay 45km off the Kodikkarai\u003cbr\>coast in Tamil Nadu. The Adam's Bridge area will be dredged to a length of\u003cbr\>20km long, 300 metres width and 12 metres deep to create the canal.\n\u003cbr\>The disaster will be very serious as the entire east coast of India, north\u003cbr\>of Sri Lanka and south of Bangladesh are likely to be effected. Citing an\u003cbr\>example Audinrayana said that deepening and development of Pumban Canal\n\u003cbr\>Deepening of just 3mts depth and 100mts depth in the Rama Sethu by the\u003cbr\>British in 18 th century has increased the movement of sand and silt to\u003cbr\>move from east coast and Palk bay into Indian Ocean. Due to the rotation\n\u003cbr\>of earth the sea tides move from east to west with a speed of 1600 kmph.\u003cbr\>This natural movement of fluids moving from east to west will push the\u003cbr\>sediments eastwards. After this opening the natural reclamation process on\n\u003cbr\>east coast has reversed as sand and silt washed off into the depth of\u003cbr\>Indian Ocean and small islands were formed south of the Pumban Bridge.\u003cbr\>This started eroding the east coast. The erosion might be few kilometers\n\u003cbr\>in the last 4 centuries before attaining equilibrium. "Evidences of the\u003cbr\>",1]
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the Palk Bay. Consequently, ships make a detour, going around the Sri Lankan coast, to arrive at either side of the Indian coast. A channeldredged in the Palk Strait, within the territorial waters of India, wouldreduce not only the steaming distance but also the amount of fuel consumed by the ships.The approximately 280kms long and 25kms wide Rama Sethu was acting as abund and stopping the sand flow into the Indian Ocean on the west coast. Now, however, the dredged sand has been washing onto the shore throughout the Vizag beach, building the sand zone. The sand now looks like a fortwall of 10-15 feet height. It was also observed this abnormal erosion hasstarted after the SSCP dredging started.Work on the SSCP, which will connect the Gulf of Mannar with the Palk Bay, was commenced in 2005. Dredging began in the bay 45km off the Kodikkaraicoast in Tamil Nadu. The Adam's Bridge area will be dredged to a length of20km long, 300 metres width and 12 metres deep to create the canal. The disaster will be very serious as the entire east coast of India, northof Sri Lanka and south of Bangladesh are likely to be effected. Citing anexample Audinrayana said that deepening and development of Pumban Canal Deepening of just 3mts depth and 100mts depth in the Rama Sethu by theBritish in 18 th century has increased the movement of sand and silt tomove from east coast and Palk bay into Indian Ocean. Due to the rotation of earth the sea tides move from east to west with a speed of 1600 kmph.This natural movement of fluids moving from east to west will push thesediments eastwards. After this opening the natural reclamation process on east coast has reversed as sand and silt washed off into the depth ofIndian Ocean and small islands were formed south of the Pumban Bridge.This started eroding the east coast. The erosion might be few kilometers in the last 4 centuries before attaining equilibrium. "Evidences of the
100mts length for Pumban Canal are that Mahabalipuram lost five temples\n\u003cbr\>out of seven temples, Visakhapatnam lost the legendary Vaisakheswara\u003cbr\>temple and many other temples. Many places on east coast were affected.\u003cbr\>The erosion of the sea at some places was almost 5 km.\u003cbr\>Kavaripoombokarpatnam near Nagapatnam submerged in sea, Chilka Lake turned\n\u003cbr\>salty from fresh water. And many places were washed into sea in this\u003cbr\>period due to sea erosion" the scientist said.\u003cbr\>He added that according to the history of Ceylon - from the earliest times\u003cbr\>to 1600 AD there were 1,378 islands. But at present, only 113 islands\n\u003cbr\>around the mainland remain. This too was due to the sand erosion after the\u003cbr\>opening at Pumban canal. The Palk bay and the east coast attained the\u003cbr\>present shape after the sand deposits were washed into deep sea of Indian\n\u003cbr\>Ocean. According to a report the proposed canal is sure to get filled up\u003cbr\>by the shifting sand and that was why the government has set apart Rs 140\u003cbr\>crores annually for continuous dredging to maintain the draft. "The simple\n\u003cbr\>question is from where this sand comes from? The answer will be from the\u003cbr\>east coast of India eroding villages, towns, cities and mega cities like\u003cbr\>Chennai and Vizag"\u003cbr\>Audinarayana said. The marine expert taking the dredged area, current\n\u003cbr\>velocity, tide span, tides per year and percentage of sand washed, into\u003cbr\>consideration said that around 63, 860, 400 cubic metres of sand would be\u003cbr\>eroded in an year after cut opening the Adams Bridge/Rama Sethu for 300\n\u003cbr\>metres. The sand drift into Indian Ocean due to Sethusamudram Project may\u003cbr\>be 24 times the figure for Pumban Bridge opening. This means the damage to\u003cbr\>the East coast of India, North of Srilanka, and Bangaladesh will be 24\n\u003cbr\>times the damage created by opening at Pumban Bridge," the expert said.\u003cbr\>In other words, 100 years of erosion would take place in just four years\u003cbr\>if the Pumban Bridge is opened.",1]
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sand erosion on the east coast due to small opening of 3mts depth and100mts length for Pumban Canal are that Mahabalipuram lost five temples out of seven temples, Visakhapatnam lost the legendary Vaisakheswaratemple and many other temples. Many places on east coast were affected.The erosion of the sea at some places was almost 5 km.Kavaripoombokarpatnam near Nagapatnam submerged in sea, Chilka Lake turned salty from fresh water. And many places were washed into sea in thisperiod due to sea erosion" the scientist said.He added that according to the history of Ceylon - from the earliest timesto 1600 AD there were 1,378 islands. But at present, only 113 islands around the mainland remain. This too was due to the sand erosion after theopening at Pumban canal. The Palk bay and the east coast attained thepresent shape after the sand deposits were washed into deep sea of Indian Ocean. According to a report the proposed canal is sure to get filled upby the shifting sand and that was why the government has set apart Rs 140crores annually for continuous dredging to maintain the draft. "The simple question is from where this sand comes from? The answer will be from theeast coast of India eroding villages, towns, cities and mega cities likeChennai and Vizag"Audinarayana said. The marine expert taking the dredged area, current velocity, tide span, tides per year and percentage of sand washed, intoconsideration said that around 63, 860, 400 cubic metres of sand would beeroded in an year after cut opening the Adams Bridge/Rama Sethu for 300 metres. The sand drift into Indian Ocean due to Sethusamudram Project maybe 24 times the figure for Pumban Bridge opening. This means the damage tothe East coast of India, North of Srilanka, and Bangaladesh will be 24 times the damage created by opening at Pumban Bridge," the expert said.In other words, 100 years of erosion would take place in just four yearsif the Pumban Bridge is opened.