Author: M V Kamath
Publication: News Today
Date: December 19, 2007
URL: http://www.newstodaynet.com/printer.php?id=3264
The truth about Sethu Samudram Writing in
Frontline (15 October), one Mr D Ramachandran reveals some extremely important
facts that merit attention. In the first place, he states that the Ram Sethu
'is a discontinuous chain of sandbars dotting a 30 km stretch in the East-West
direction between the Palk Day and the Gulf of Mannar'.
Then he makes the point that palcogegraphic
studies suggest that the sea level in the region has oscillated significantly
over historical times, exposing the seabed between India and Sri Lanka periodically.
According to him 'around 6,000 to 7,000 years
ago, the sea level was just 17 meters below the present level, resulting in
partial exposure of the seabed. The Marino and Water Resources Group of SAC/ISRO
concluded after space-based investigations that the so-called Adam's Bridge
- or Ram Sethu - is not man-made but comprises 103 small patch reefs lying
in a linear pattern with roof crest (flattened, emergent, especially during
low tides) and intermittent deep channels.
The MWRG interpreted the linearity of the
Sethu to be due to the old share line - implying that the two land masses
of India and Sri Lanka were once connected. What can we deduce from these
admissions? One, that a long time ago, India and Sri Lanka were indeed linked
by a wall of coral in one continual stretch. Two, there were times when that
wall was broken at intervals by violent seawaves, but not to the extent of
making repairs difficult.
From this we can deduce that if someone were
to fill these intermittent minor channels with sand and stones, it would still
be possible to acquire a continuous link between India and Sri Lanka, practically
a roadway - call it a 'bridge' for all one cares - that would enable a vanar
sena to cross over from India to Sri Lanka effortlessly, even in single file
Ergo, what a Vanar Sena merely had to do was to fill in the intermittent sea
channels with stones to make a transportable way from the Indian sub-continent
to the Sri Lanka island, requiring no major feat.
That would mean that some Vanar Sena did build
a 'bridge', using Nature as a base. If we admit to this rational explanation,
one can accept both propositions. One, that a link of sorts was already in
existence when the Vanar Sena came to think of it and two, that the Sena did
indeed help build a bridge, by filling in broken gaps in the carol roof with
capacious stones and sand.
Granting that the entire connection was not
man-made and that a discontinuing physical link was already in existence,
what the Vanars did apparently was to fill in the intermittent breaks within
the continuous coral wall to build a smooth highway for free movement. If
this is understood, discussion then ceases.
One can believe that the Vanars did indeed
build a 'bridge' - though not in the usual meaning of the term. If this line
of thinking is accepted - and why shouldn't it not? - then everything falls
in it place. One can accept both the scientific findings as well as the so-called
mythology surrounding the Ram Sethu.
In regard to the latter, all that one had
to do was for the Vanars to carry stones to help fill in the gaps in the broken
coral reef wall and thereby complete the passageway from India to Sri Lanka
for the smooth transport of men and material. Let us now take an expert's
views on the usefulness and relevance of the proposed Sethu Samudram project.
In an interview to Rediff, Captain H Balakrishnan,
who has been associated with the Navy for 32 years and is knowledgeable about
the pluses and minuses of the Project, has made some relevant observations.
According to him, from a mariner's standpoint, the Sethu Samudram project
'does not make any nautical sense'.
In the first place, the Indian Meteorological
Department has assigned the coast between Rameshwaram and Cuddalore as 'a
high risk probability". Thus, in 1964 the Pamban Bridge was washed away
by a severe cyclonic storm. In the second place, maintaining a depth of 12
metres for ships to pass will entail round-the-year dredging.
Once the Channel is set up it will have to
be continuously dredged and that adds to the maintenance expenditure. This
is a hidden cost. Then again, by the very nature of the project, a 60,000
/ deadweight tonne carrier will need anything in excess of a 12 metre draft.
But 60,000 tone carriers are a thing of the
past. Today we have very large carriers of the type of 150,000 and 185,000
tones none of which will ever be able to use the Sethu Samudram. Even more
relevantly, for a ship to pass through the Sethu Samudram waters, it has to
drastically cut down on its speed because the water is shallow and a moving
ship will create what it known as the 'Squat Effect'.
According to Capt Balakrishnan, a large ship
has to cut down its speed from around 12 and 13 knots per hour to about 6
knots, especially if it is a bulk carrier. Then again, the Sethu Samudram
is not an open seaway. It is like entering into a port.
A pilot has to board a ship which ordinarily
means that for letting a pilot aboard, an hour has to be wasted and similarly
another hour has to be wasted to let him down. Asks Capt Balakrishnan: 'With
this 6 knot speed and two hours pilotage delay, the time of Tuticorin via
Sethu Samudram works out to 100 hours 30 minutes. If one went round Sri Lanka,
the time taken would be 102 hours 15 minutes. If one went round Sri Lanka,
the time taken would be 102 hours 15 minutes.
If one went round Sri Lanka, the time taken
would be 102 hours 15 minutes. So the net savings in time by going through
Sethu Samudram is 1 hour 45 minutes. Would it be worth spending Rs. 2,400
crores - the amount sanctioned for the entire Project - just to save 105 minutes
of sailing? Whatever the authorities under political pressure might exaggerate,
Mr Balakrishnan doesn't expect more than 1,000 ships using the Sethu Samudram
canal.
Taking into account cost incurred per ship,
using the Sethu Samudram route would entail shipping companies lose Rs. 19
lakhs per voyage. According to Capt Balakrishnan, what is being planned 'is
a while elephant in the making'. He doesn't say it, but everyone knows that
the government is willing to spend over Rs. 2,400 crores to satisfy the whims
of a coalition partner, the DMK.
This is atrocious and should be strongly resisted,
especially also considering the damage the Sethu would do for the livelihood
of thousands of fishermen and their families, who will be forced to look for
alternate ways of making their meagre fortunes.
