RAM
SETU - GEOGRAPHY
News: The Geo-heritage value of Ram Setu
What's
in the news?
● Supreme Court gave the Centre four weeks’ time to file a response clarifying its stand on a plea by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy seeking national heritage status for the ‘Ram Setu’.
Key
takeaways:
●
While the story of the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project
(SSCP) can be traced back to the British, who proposed creating a channel to link the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar,
it was only in 2005 that the project
was inaugurated.
●
Separating the shallow sea consisting of
the Gulf of Mannar in the south and Palk Bay in the north is a linear coral
ridge called Adam’s Bridge or Ram Setu.
●
This runs
between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka.
● The SSCP, if completed, is expected to considerably reduce the navigation time between the east and west coasts of India.
Ram
Setu:
●
Ram Sethu is also known as Adam’s Bridge or Nala Sethu.
●
It is a 48 km chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island known as
Rameswaram Island on the coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island on the
coast of Sri Lanka.
●
The bridge separates the Gulf of Mannar
(south-west) from the Palk Strait (northeast).
● The bridge holds religious significance. A bridge is mentioned in Ramayana, that Lord Ram and his army built to reach Lanka. The location of the Lanka of the Ramayana has been widely interpreted as being current day Sri Lanka and bridge as Ram Sethu.
Is
Ram Setu Man Made or Natural?
●
In 2003, space-based investigations, using
satellite remote sensing imagery, by researchers at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad concluded that Ram Setu is not man-made.
●
They said that Ram Setu comprises 103
small patch reefs lying in a linear pattern with reef crest, sand cays and
intermittent deep channels”.
●
Cays, also known as keys, refer to
low-elevation islands situated on surfaces made of coral reef.
●
Thus, it is reasonable to assume that Ram
Setu is a linear ridge made of coral
reefs and forms a shallow part of the ocean that is being constantly impacted
by sedimentation processes.
● Like the Great Barrier Reef, the Ram Setu is also a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameswaram to the Mannar Island on the northern coast of Sri Lanka.
Sethusamudram
Ship Channel Project:
●
The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project
aims to create a shipping route between India and Sri Lanka by building an 83-km-long deep-water channel.
● It would also reduce travel time between the eastern and western coasts of India as ships would no longer have to circle Sri Lanka to travel between the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
Significance
of SSCP:
●
Successful completion of the project would
cut travelling by about 350 nautical
miles and will save 10 to 30 hours sailing time.
●
It is expected to considerably reduce the navigation time between the
east and west coasts of India.
●
The project will lead to considerable savings and earnings of foreign exchange.
●
It will bring down shipping costs.
● With China’s influence in Sri Lanka increasing, India needs to explore alternative shipping routes.
Challenges
of SSCP:
The proposed route through the shoals
of Ram Setu is opposed by some groups on religious, environmental and
ecological grounds.
1.
Religious argument:
●
Religious groups have been opposing it as
they believe that the structure, which is mentioned in the Ramayana, is of
religious significance.
2.
Environmental impact:
●
Concerns have been raised on the stability
of the proposed channel and its environmental impact.
●
The project would disturb the ecological balance and destroy corals and kill marine life.
3.
Impacts of Waves:
●
Computer models suggest that the central,
eastern and north eastern parts of Palk Bay may be impacted by waves of higher
energy. This means that these areas will receive more sediment, rendering them
more turbid.
4.
Impact of Cyclone:
●
The area is also vulnerable to cyclonic
storms. A cyclone in 1964 was so powerful that it wiped out the town of
Dhanushkodi. So, finding safe places for dumping dredged material without
harming terrestrial or marine ecosystems is a big challenge.
5.
Emissions problem for ships:
●
Emissions from ships will pollute the air
and water. Any accident to a ship carrying oil or coal will lead to an
ecological disaster.
6.
Affects sensitive biosphere reserve:
●
The coral
reef platforms between Thoothukudi and Rameswaram in the Gulf of Mannar
were notified as a marine biosphere reserve in 1989. The reserve has more than
36,000 species of flora and fauna.
●
This area is already threatened by
discharge from thermal plants, brine run-off from salt pans, and illegal mining
of corals.
● The SSCP, if it becomes a reality, might be the final blow to this sensitive environment and to the livelihoods of the people.
Need
to protect Ram Setu:
1.
Presence of corals and mangroves:
●
The coral reef platforms between
Thoothukudi and Rameswaram in the Gulf of Mannar were notified as a marine
biosphere reserve in 1989.
●
More than 36,000 species of flora and
fauna reportedly live there, flanked by mangroves and sandy shores which are
considered conducive for turtles to nest.
2.
Lifeline for marine ecosystem:
●
It is also a breeding ground for fish,
lobsters, shrimps and crabs.
●
Of the 600 recorded varieties of fish in
the region, 70 are said to be commercially important.
3.
Area under stress:
●
This area is already threatened by
discharge from thermal plants, brine run-off from salt pans, and illegal mining
of corals.
● The SSCP, if it becomes a reality, will be the final blow to this sensitive environment and to the livelihoods of the people there.
Geo-Heritage
Aspect of Ram Setu:
While considering this
issue from a believer’s point of view, it is also important to consider this
feature from a ‘geoheritage’ perspective.
●
The geoheritage paradigm is used in nature conservation to preserve the
natural diversity of significant geological features.
●
It accepts the fact that geodiversity, consisting of varied
landforms and features representative of dynamical natural processes, is under
threat from human activities and needs protection.
●
The natural heritage of a country includes
its geological heritage.
●
The value of abiotic factors like geology,
soils and landforms is also recognised for their roles in supporting habitats
for biodiversity.
● India’s ‘tryst with destiny’ does not begin at Harappa or the Vedic Period; it goes back billions of years when the Indian tectonic plate moved thousands of kilometres from the south of the equator to its present location.
The Ram Setu carries the unique geological imprints of an eventful past.
Therefore, it needs to be preserved not just as a national heritage monument,
but also as a geoheritage structure as defined from a scientific perspective.