Setusamudram Project

Setusamudram is the part of sea that separates Tamil Nadu, India and island nation Sri Lanka. It passes through the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and a shoal of islands and bays.

Ramasethu or Adam’s Bridge:

Adam’s Bridge also known as Rama Setu of Valmiki’s Ramayana fame is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.

The bridge is 30 km in length and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). It appears that according to Islamic tradition, ‘Adam’ crossed these shoals in order to stand on one leg for 1,000 years on the mountain of Samanala (Adam’s Peak) as a penance for his indiscretion in Eden; hence, the name “Adam’s Bridge”. Geological evidence suggests that the bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka. In the Ramayana epic, Rama built the bridge, with the assistance of Lord Hanuman, to allow passage for his army in the rescue of Sita from the demon King – Ravana of Lankadeepa.

Background of Ramasethu Project

• Due to shallow waters, sea navigation through the Palk Strait is difficult and 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 i.e. Bay of Bengal.
  
• In order to reduce navigation time and enhance economic and business opportunities for future prospects across sea lines, GOI appointed the Setu Samudram Project Committee in 1955 , headed by Dr. A. Ramasamy Mudaliar to study and chalk out a plan to build a canal across Adam’s bridge by dredging.
  
• This project was known to be Setusamudram Canal project declared by UPA-I government in 2005. It envisages dredging of a ship channel across the Palk straits between India and Sri Lanka to allow ships sailing between the east and west costs of India to have a straight passage through India’s territorial waters, instead of having to circumvent Sri Lanka.
  
• This will lead to a saving of up to 424 nautical miles (780 Km) and up to 30 hours in sailing time. Two channels are proposed to be created – one across north of Adam’s Bridge South – east of Pamban Island and another through the shallows of Palk Bay, deepening the Palk straits.
  
• However, controversies surfaced regarding this project. Hindu religious people believe that Ramasethu is God-made monument of heritage and has cultural value as it was build by Lord Rama of Ramayana epic. Secondly, there is controversy about whether it is man-made or natural. While a few people question if a natural formation can occur across the way from India to Sri Lankan coastline, there are others who say that if Rama Sethu is man-made, the material which the bridge is made of should not find its origin in the seas.
  
• Government agencies like ASI and international agencies NASA also identifies it as natural bridge but political parties and religious believers finds it hard to digest and believe that such a natural bridge can exist in middle of an ocean.
  
• In order to preserve and decide the issue, petitions were in filled in honourable Supreme Court in 2008 to declare it as national monument and scrapping the project. Further opposition parties proposed alternative alignment that would cut through the spit of land just east of Dhanushkodi other than the present alignment , which cuts through the Ram Setu, was stayed by the Supreme Court in the wake of considerable opposition which for unknown reasons was not acceptable to UPA-I government.
  

Brief Timeline

• 2007: UPA-I government files affidavit saying Ramayana and Lord Rama never existed. It was withdrawn later.
  
• 2008: Government filed another affidavit seeking SC’s permission to resume dredging of the Setu
  
• 2008: Ram Setu can’t be declared National monument: Government to SC
  
• 2008: R.K.Pauchauri Panel appointed to consider alternative route for Ram Setu
  
• 2011: Pauchauri panel report submission date extended by government till 2012
  
• 2012: SC asks government to clear stand on Ram Setu for it as national monument.
  
• 2012: Expert panel submits report to government
  

R.K.Pauchuari Report: Salient Findings

• Alternative alignment not feasible: The alternative alignment (4A) [Supreme Court suggested alternative route (Alignment 4A ) to avoid Adam’s Bridge while charting through a spit of land east of Dhanushkodi] of SSCP Project without cutting across the Adams Bridge or Ram Setu is not economically and ecologically feasible.
  
• Possibility of oil spills and Ecological threat: Panel says that even with the most stringent measures and precautions will be difficult to rule out completely global phenomena like rise in sea level, climate change and oil spills. It finds that oil spills could possibly pose a risk to the biosphere reserve, which needs to be protected under all conditions which may be devastating for marine as well as land ecosystems.
  
• Project cost: The initial cost of the project was estimated at over Rs 2,000 crore. The channel is proposed to be 30 metres wide, 12 metres deep and 167 kilometres long. The panel puts forward that economic analysis of alternate route seems optimistic and obviously do not take into account the possibility of adverse effects of delays, engineering surprises and other factors that could affect the cost of the project upwards.
  
• Impact analysis for climate change: For infrastructure to be created in such a fragile ecological zone, a rigorous analysis of possible scenarios related to the impacts of climate change should be done which was not covered as part of the project, is proposed by the panel.