Author: Kumar Chellappan
Publication: Deccan Chronicle
Date: March 21, 2008
The country's top environmental scientist
has warned that the demolition of the Adam's Bridge (Ramar Setu) for constructing
the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project is a surefire recipe for ecological
disaster. Prof C.S.P. Iyer, who led the Department of Atomic Energy's (DAE)
scientific team for more than three decades and who chaired the Centre For
Marine Analytical Reference and Standards (C-MARS) told this newspaper that
the proposal to link Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea through the Sethu Channel
would lead to an 'ecological disaster' of the worst kind because water differed
from 'sea to sea'.
"The Gulf of Mannar (GoM), which has
been declared as the world's rarest bio diversity reserve by UNESCO will be
destroyed by this action. The project envisages the demolition of Adam's Bridge
which will result in the mixing up of the waters of the Gulf of Mannar and
Palk Bay," said Prof Iyer.
Having done extensive research on the chemistry
of water water in land as well as in sea, he pointed out that the water in
GoM was very different from that of Palk Bay. "The salinity, temperature,
acidity, nutrients, productivity and bio diversity differ in Gulf of Mannar
and Palk Bay. The moment the waters get mixed up, the entire ecology will
be disturbed and that's the end of it," said Prof Iyer.
Prof Iyer, an emeritus professor at the Indian
Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM), pointed out that
the GoM harboured more than 3600 species of identified and unidentified flora
and fauna. "Many endangered species like sea turtles, sea cow, and sea
horse could be found only in the GoM. The Palk Bay has more than117 species
of sea grass. It is the sea grass which protect the Tamil Nadu coast and provide
shelter to sea cows," said Prof Iyer.
The DAE scientist said he strongly felt that
the Adam's Bridge was a natural formation. "It is the naturally formed
reef barriers which keep the waters of GoM and Palk Bay separated. Once we
demolish this structure, the two water regimes will get mixed and the fragile
ecology of the entire area would be impaired," he said.
He also said the Channel which requires dredging
would cause turbidity. "This will destroy the valuable corals of the
region. There is no way you can save the corals once you start the dredging.
Though the sea is full of energy, it is equally sensitive," said Prof
Iyer who is an authority on the chemistry of ocean water.
