In News
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) gave the Centre four weeks’ time to file a response clarifying its stand on a plea seeking national heritage status for the ‘Ram Setu’.
About Ram Setu
- Linear coral ridge also called Adam’s Bridge.
- Separates the shallow sea consisting of the Gulf of Mannar in the south and Palk Bay in the north.
- Runs between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka.
Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP)
- History: The British proposed creating a channel to link the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar
- Inaugurated in: 2005
- The SSCP, if completed, is expected to considerably reduce the navigation time between the east and west coasts of India.
- Concerns:
- The central, eastern and north-eastern parts of the Palk Bay may be impacted by waves of higher energy.
- The area is also vulnerable to cyclonic storms.
- Finding safe places for dumping dredged material without harming terrestrial or marine ecosystems
- Threatened by discharge from thermal plants, brine run-off from salt pans, and illegal mining of corals.
Need for Protection
- 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.
- This 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.
Source: TH
Previous article
‘No Money for Terror’ (NMFT) Ministerial Conference
Next article
Sukhatal Lake
