The Hindu Business Line : Sethusamudram project draws flak from environmentalists

THE Sethusamudram project, envisaging the much-awaited maritime shortcut between the East and West coasts of the Indian sub continent, has invited the wrath of environmentalists, with the Mumbai-based Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) coming out strongly against the project.

The society is of the view that the project will have serious impact on the marine environment in the region. Moreover, a project of this scale may not be financially viable either.

"We can very well subsist without the project", said Commander G.V.K. Unnithan, Executive Committee Member of the Society, alleging that the much-publicised 300 nautical miles distance reduction and massive employment generation envisaged under the project are highly exaggerated.

On the environmental side, BNHS pointed out that the project would cause massive migration of fish, mammals and other fauna into deeper gulf regions, reduction in the fishing area and heavy pollution due to the ballast of water of passing vessels.

According to the Society, even after the final phase of Sethusamudram Canal is completed within the next 10 years, only ships with maximum 25,000 DWT will be able to pass through it. "This means even our aircraft carrier INS Viraat and many other deep drafted vessels may not be able to negotiate the canal", Mr Unnithan said.

The Society also disputes the time gain of 20 to 30 hours once the canal is commissioned pointing out that this gain will be offset by embarkation and disembarkation of pilots and officials, cumbersome inspection procedures and slow movement at almost half the speed through the 80 nautical mile canal.

The net gain may be only 12 to 16 hours at the cost of risky and tiring piloting of the vessels through the narrow canal at slow speed. He pointed out that the pilotage and toll charges would be another disincentive for foreign vessels to opt for the canal route.

It has also been pointed out by the society that the benefit for the Tuticorin-Chennai route from the project will come down once the Kudamkulam project becomes operational by 2008. The current traffic of 1 to 2 vessels per day mainly carrying coal would decrease after that. Moreover, the capital dredging is estimated to be 84 million cubic metres and the canal may warrant daily maintenance dredging due to the coral seabed, ocean current and due to the peculiar sediment transport pattern influenced by the monsoons.

The worst affected will be local fishermen on the ground that the existing fishing areas of local fisher folk would be reduced considerably once the canal is opened for traffic.

The Society also disputes the employment generation factor pointing out that dredging, marking and buoying being high tech activity, not much employment generation can be expected.

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