Sethu Samudram Project

Sethu Samudram Project

Sethu Samudram project is the connection of National Sea Route and National highways. The length of the sea route for ships will be shortened by this canal. India had maritime trade with various countries of the world since time immemorial. Shipping trade among the various coastal ports both on the west and east coast was also going on for a very long period. India has a peninsular coast of 3554 nautical miles(1.852 km or 1.150779 miles exactly).
However, it is rather unfortunate that India does not have a continuous navigable sea lane running within her territorial waters. Consequently, ships from the east coast of India to Tuticorin have to go around Sri Lanka. This is because of a Sand Stone Reef, called Adam's bridge, at Pamban near Rameswaram between the Southern-Eastern Coast of India and Talaimannar of Sri Lanka. In order to reduce the steaming distances and take advantage of navigation along the coast within our territorial waters, a number of proposals were considered for cutting a Ship Canal called the Sethusamudram Ship Canal through Rameswaram island, to connect the Gulf of Mannar with Palk Bay. The depth of the sea in this portion is very shallow and is hardly about 11 feet only. Because of this shallow depth, the ships have to go around Sri Lanka increasing the traveling distance considerably. The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project conceived more than a century ago, originally conceived in 1860 by the British Commander A.D. Taylor of the Indian Marines. But it is still in its embryonic stage. After independence, the proposal of sethusanudram project were committed in 1955 with Sir.Ramaswamy mudaliyar as chairman with shri.S.K.Muherji, chief commercial superintendent.


Advantage
• The implementation of the project would create further opportunities to promote coastal traffic through out Tuticorin.
• Rs.21 crore per year for fuel expenditure of ships will be saved. Today India imports a big quantity of crude oil. Saving of fuel will save foreign currency.
• The time taken by ships will also decrease by 16 hours, therefore the number of ships navigating is also expected to increase.
• Also Southern part of the country will grow at a faster pace. Tuticorin port and other smaller ports will be benefited.
• This project will develop India’s southern coasts. And south India would become a trade center like Malaysia. Which would increase the foreign exchange of our country and thus guiding faster economic growth.
• Once the project is implemented the profit that we get from the foreign ships would be higher.
• We get a separate security protection in the Tuticorin port by which would be an external support from the attack of terrorist.
• The job opportunities would become higher which will reduce the unemployment in India and poverty in the southern states would also be decreased.
• The trading between other country would become simple so the India would become developed nation in short time.
• The relation between other countries will be improved.
• Since the traveling distance and time is reduced, the pollution is reduced and money is also saved.
• The tourism would be increased by this project.
• By this project the expenditure for transport of the goods from Tuticorn to Cochin will be reduced.

Even though it has many advantages, it has same amount of disadvantages
Disadvantage
• SSCP is designed to take ships below 32,000 dwt while
international shipping is heading for larger ships above 60,000 dwt nowadays.
• A ship sunk in the channel would block the channel and will take lot of efforts and time to clear the way.
• Damaging and destruction of the natural heritage of coral reefs in the sethu site.
• The present LTTE using the crude sea-mines to disturb Srilankan naval ships. Mine sweeping requires lot of efforts of indian naval and takes days besides money.
• LTTE might attack in air with its airborne strikers and also hi-Jake ships which would need to pay extra premium to the insurance companies and make expensive cost.
• 70 million cubic meters of dredged mud in dumping sites located in depth of greater than 25 meters.
• Ships will lose money on its slow speed in channel to avoid grounding damages due to squatting effect.
• SSCP will lose money in pilotage -pilot embarking and disembarking, tugs etc.
• Round the year ocean currents, rough weather, seaborne
attack are the vigorous. Out of 64 cyclones that hit Tamilnadu coast in past 80 years, 23 cyclones have hit sethu site.
• This project is not done for one time because the nature of the sand is that while we remove the sand it will deposit the sand again so we have to remove it frequently.
• By implementing this project, the pollution in this part would be increased.
• The aquarium of the sethu site would be disturbed and it affects the fishermen’s for his business.
• A single accident of oil or chemical container ship may destroy the whole marine environment in this region and millions of fishermen will become helpless.
• If Tsunami occurs the ships would be damaged as well as the ports which is the collapses the entire Sethusamdiram project. And cause an major loss to this project.
• Destroying the Adam’s bridge would affect the religious feelings of certain group of people both in India and Srilanka.
• The land prices would become higher than the current.
Conclusion
What I feel about SSCP is that this project has to be implemented. All the good things in the world have their own disadvantages. The need for this project, for the economic development and growth of India is immense.