Inconsistencies in the NEERI Environmental Impact Assessment

(Extracts from article by V Sundaram)
Sethusamudram Shipping Canal in its present form is scientifically inconsistent and technically indefensible for the following reasons:
1) According to Dr Ramesh, NEERI Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the study that gives the SSCP, its scientific legitimacy, has ignored the studies available on the sedimentation pattern of Palk Bay completely and has not fixed the exact locations wherein the dredged material would be dumped - these studies are crucial for the economic and technical survival of project, as they will give us an idea of how much sediment should be dredged each season and also prepare us for a study that will tell us where the dumped sediments will move every season.
2) Subsurface geology has been studied only for the 20 kilo meter stretch of the canal in the Adam's Bridge area. Nothing is known about the subsurface geology of the Palk Strait region. Considering the fact that the canal's length will be 54.2 km; if the sub surface turns out to be rocky, the cost of the project will go up many folds, and the effect of blasting these rocks would cause serious damages to the Palk Bay environment. This was clearly stated in the Technical Feasibility Report prepared by NEERI only to be politically ignored at the time of political sanction of SSCP.
3) The historical cyclone data for this region from the years 1860 to 2000 clearly indicate that cyclones cross this region and its neighborhood once in every four years. Historically we have enough data to show that all these cyclones have caused severe erosion of the coastal stretch in the nearby areas from time to time by dumping the eroded material in Palk Bay and Adam's Bridge area. NEERI's EIA has not taken note of this natural phenomenon at all.
4) Indomer's 'Hydrodynamic Modeling Study for SSCP' has also ignored the issue of the impact of cyclones on the canal completely. Thus, we do not know, what will happen to the canal in scientific terms during the period of cyclones.
5) Tsunami computer simulation models by Professor Steven N Ward of University of California, Professor Aditya Riyadi of Pusat Penelitian Kelautan Insitut Teknologi, Bandung, Indonesia, WI-Delft Hydraulics, Netherlands and DHI Software, USA and Indomer-Alkyon have described graphically the way tsunami waves attacked Palk Bay on 26 December, 2004. It is against all this background that the International Tsunami Expert Professor Tad S Murty chose to warn the Prime Minister's Office on 30 January, 2005 about the possible negative and dangerous impact of SSCP during the times of future tsunamis. The PMO instead of referring the matter to the NEERI who were the official consultants of the Government of India, chose to refer the matter directly to the Office of the Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust. He gave his final reply to the 14 vital points raised by the PMO on 8 March 2005 only on 30 June 2005. Then in a kind of sudden swoop operation the de jure Prime Minister and the de facto Prime Minister of Italian vintage air dashed to Madurai on 2 July 2005, to lay a solid foundation for the destruction of coastal life in Southern Tamilnadu.
The NEERI had undertaken their EIA of SSCP long before Tsunami hit parts of Tamilnadu and Kerala in December 2004. A preliminary tsunami impact assessment report prepared by the Zoological Survey of India for the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in early 2005 clearly concluded that the tsunami that hit the Tamilnadu and Andaman and Nicobar coasts in 2004 had irrevocably altered the marine ecology of the Bay of Bengal region. No public authority connected with SSCP has taken note of this report.
When the SSCP was about to be launched in July 2005, Dr C P Rajendran of the Centre for Earth Science Studies in Thiruvananthapuram, a Paleo-Seismologist and one of India's top geologists gave a timely warning to the effect that the SSCP should be put on hold. Giving detailed technical reasons, he concluded: 'Sethusamudram, as the name suggests, is the part of an ocean that is being constantly bridged by natural sedimentation processes, and the nature has been at this work for hundreds of thousands of years. By implementing this project, we are disturbing these processes. The project lacks technical, scientific and economic credibility, and is another disaster in the making. All the objections raised by me will remain valid until these issues are resolved by an independent group of experts'.

Hey look at this cute eniviromental beuty soon it will be destroyed help and save it

Please save our eniviroment from Evils

Environmental implications of the Sethusamudram project Effect on marine life
Though there has been a demand from various quarters for the implementation of the project, there is also opposition to it from environmentalists. They point out that the dredging of the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar could affect the ecology of the zone by changing currents, which could:
· cause changes in temperature, salinity, turbidity and flow of nutrients
· cause oil spills from ship and other marine pollution to reach the coastal areas and specifically the sensitive ecosystems of the Gulf of Mannar
· lead to higher tides and to more energetic waves, and hence to coastal erosion.
· affect the local sea temperature and thereby alter the pattern of sea-breezes and hence affect rainfall patterns.
They also point out that dredging the canal could stir up the dust and toxins that lie beneath the sea bed, affecting marine life. The emptying of bilge water from ships traveling through the hitherto impassable areas could disperse invasive species through the ecosystems of the area.
These effects could endanger precious marine species and wealth. The Gulf of Mannar has 3,600 species of plants and animals and is India's biologically richest coastal region. Mammal species which abound in the area are sperm whales, dolphins and dugongs. The Gulf of Mannar is especially known for its corals: the portion in Indian territorial waters has 117 species of corals, belonging to 37 genera. Associated with these ecosystems are many varieties of fish and crustaceans. Marine life on the Sri Lankan side, which is better protected, is even richer. The Bar Reef off the Kalpitiya peninsular alone has 156 species of coral and 283 of fish; there are two other coral reef systems around Mannar and Jaffna. There are extensive banks of oysters, as well as Indian Chank and Sea Cucumbers, especially in the seas adjacent to Mannar. The pearl fisheries south of Mannar, which inspired Georges Bizet's opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles, have not been productive for many years, indicating the fragility of these ecosystems in the face of overfishing and of relatively minor changes in the habitat.
The Indian government has conducted various environmental studies which ignore some of the above issues by claiming that such issues have already been addressed. Nevertheless, the fundamental environmentalist objections based on facts remain:
· the Environmental Impact Assessment carried out by the Indian government was done by a body inexperienced in projects of this nature, was insufficiently detailed and did not consult with all the stakeholders, which included the government and people on the southern side of the proposed project,
· no proper survey has been carried out of the sea bed to be dredged, and
· no proper scientific modelling of the effects of the project has been carried out.
After environmental objections were made in Sri Lanka, the Indian government belatedly decided to carry out modelling, but this had not been done before clearance was given for the project. A modelling exercise carried out by Sri Lanka's National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) indicated that the project would increase the water flow from the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar, disturbing the inland water balance as well as the eco-systems in the Gulf. [1] There have also been judicial observations against this project
[2]. Fishing and livelihood
On July 2, 2005, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project amidst protests from fishermen and environmentalists. Nearly 600 were arrested. The fishermen protested because they feared that the dredging would deepen the sea waters and prevent them from venturing into deep sea (which is currently shallow), where their livelihoods lie.
Legendary
Some claim that this land bridge is the site of the famous Rama's Bridge, making it a historical, religious and cultural monument of great significance. For this reason, many, including chief ministers of states[3], oppose the project.
Several claims and estimates have been made regarding the age of Rama's bridge and its relation to the Indian epic Ramayana.
a)Rama's bridge is 3,500 years old: CRS {Source: Indian Express}: "Ramasamy explains that the land/beaches were formed between Ramanathapuram and Pamban because of the long shore drifting currents which moved in an anti-clockwise direction in the north and clockwise direction in the south of Rameswaram and Talaimannar about 3,500 years ago. ... But as the carbon dating of the beaches roughly matches the dates of Ramayana, its link to the epic needs to be explored, he adds.
"[4] b) NASA Images Find 1,750,000 Year Old Man-Made Bridge {Source: [HindustanTimes-http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_81164,0003.htm (DeadLink)], Reported by PTI}: "The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the a primitive age, about 1,750,000 years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

plz plz plz help ram sethu

Concerned groups launch a global campaign against destruction of Adam's Bridge (Ram Sethu) in India

International groups have jointly launched the Save Ram Sethu campaign against the continuing destruction of a symbol of the Hindu faith in the narrow sea between India and Sri Lanka. Ram Sethu ( called Adam's Bridge by the British ) which is seen as one of Hinduism's holiest sites, is an ancient chain of shoals that once linked India's southern areas to Sri Lanka's northwest. It is being destroyed by the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project (SCCP) to create a navigable waterway in the narrow sea dividing the two countries.

The campaign organizers have pointed out that the environmental impact assessments of the project were conducted before the Tsunami disaster and have not included the increased risks to coastal areas from the removal of a natural barrier against future Tsunamis. Additionally, they expressed serious concerns about the destructive effects the canal project will have on the local marine life, environment, and coastal populations in general including the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in the regions. It is believed that consultations with local communities may have excluded several stakeholder groups whose views would have highlighted critical environmental and humanitarian issues. The area is well known for various indigenous industries, such as the "Shankha" which have existed for centuries and are an important cultural heritage and source of income for thousands of local residents.

The Hindu Forum of Britain, Hindu Human Rights, Esha Vasyam USA and Global Human Rights Defense of the Netherlands are jointly launching the 'Save Ram Sethu' campaign (Ram Sethu Bachao Andolan) from 27 March 2007, which is celebrated as Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Ram. A growing number of international organizations are supporting the campaign, including the Hindu Council of Australia, Hindu Conference of Canada, Hindu Collective Initiative of America, Hindu Council of Africa, Hindu Council of Holland, Hindu Forum of Belgium, Italian Hindu Union, Caribbean Sanatan Dharma Mahasabha, Federation of Hindu Temples in France and Mauritius Sanatan Dharma Temples Federation, who will organize local campaigns in their countries to save the sacred bridge and the local environment from further destruction.

"Ram Sethu is as holy to Hindus as the Western Wall is to the Jews, the Vatican to Catholics, Bodh Gaya to the Buddhists and Mecca to Muslims," said Dr. Kusum Vyas, president and founder of Esha Vasyam, a USA based organization. She further added, " It is an unacceptable breach of the religious rights of over one billion Hindus to destroy such a sacred landmark and the environmental damage such a project will bring about will be colossal. We will not let this happen."

"We are considering various ways to lodge our protest and appeal to Hindus all over the world to send their letters to the Government of India," said Ranbir Singh, chair of Hindu Human Rights. "It seems like we're heading towards an ecological disaster".

Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain asked the Government of India to open a second round of consultation under an independent Commission so that post-tsunami data and analysis could be included in a second impact assessment. "The old data used to make this monumental decision was rendered obsolete by the tsunami of 2004 which radically altered the environment and conditions," he added.

The Save Ram Sethu Campaign requests that:

1. The SSCP should immediately stop all dredging work and withdraw all equipment forthwith from the site

2. The Government of India should immediately set up an independent Commission that will oversee a second round of consultations. This is to ensure that views of important stakeholder groups not consulted in the first round are taken into account. This should include the oft-repeated warnings, highly critical reviews and troubling questions raised by world-renowned specialists and experts on the disastrous effects on the environment and livelihood of people in the region, which have not been included in the previous public consultations.

3. The SSCP should take into account the offence and hurt being felt by millions of Hindus around the world about the destruction of one of their holiest religious sites.

Organizers of Save Ram Sethu Campaign have ask supporters from all over the world to write letters of protests to the leaders in the Indian Government.

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we have to safe guard the religions belief ---------------- not only hindus also others thsi will happen ato any one from the governmnet for their monetary fund of ministers and some political kings

plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz save ------------------------------------------indians ramayana ...... and maha bharatha .........................please remove old peoples from political aaffairs...................................becoz they are questions god........................................ we have hanuman,ram ....... they are our heros ..............................................plz save gaurd indians beliefs