The Hindu Business Line : Call for detailed study on Sethusamudram project

`Once the Sethusamudram Canal comes into being, natural disasters like tsunami, propagating from the north-east, could find an easy passage through the canal.'

Thiruvananthapuram April 27 A case has been made out for conducting a detailed and independent scientific assessment before implementing the Sethusamudram Canal project.

This is particularly important in view of the opinion expressed by experts that it was the Adam's bridge that saved Kerala from the fury of tsunami, according to the resolution passed at a seminar organised by the Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action and the Botany Department of Kerala University here on Friday.

Dr C.S.P. Iyer, former Director of the Centre for Marine Analytical Reference and Standards, said that once the Sethusamudram Canal comes into being, natural disasters like tsunami, propagating from the north-east, could find an easy passage through the canal. And due to the tunnelling effect, they could cause huge damage to Kerala.

Concerns

Dr C.P. Rajendran, one of the participants, said that there were several objections to the project. The environmental impact assessment done by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, had not taken into account the recent studies on the sedimentation dynamics of the project area.

The study had also neglected the role of natural hazards such as cyclones and tsunamis in dispersing the dredged material posing a major risk to the region. On the other hand, the study had only looked at the sedimentation dynamics of a small area, ignoring the adjacent areas, including the Palk Bay strait, he said.

Marine hotspot

Dr A. Biju Kumar of Kerala Biodiversity Board pointed out that the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve had been identified as one of the hotspots of marine biodiversity. More than 3,600 species had been recorded from this region, he said.

Besides, the area also abounds in mangroves, sea grasses and the critically endangered sea cow. A busy continuous navigation in the region would offset and trigger devastating ecological imbalance, affecting the lives of millions of fishermen and many endangered organisms such as corals, sea horses and sea cow, he said.

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