The waters of the Gulf of Mannar, including Palk Strait, Palk Bay, and Adam's Bridge, provide critical habitats such as extensive seagrass beds and coral reefs which support regionally important concentrations of endangered and threatened migratory marine wildlife, including four species of marine turtles, Marine Mammals such as Dugong, Sperm Whale, Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Sei Whale, Bryde's Whale ,Short-finned Pilot Whale , Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin ,Common Dolphin , Bottle-nosed Dolphin , False Killer Whale, Whale Shark, and birds - Spot billed pelican, Oriental darter, Lesser flamingo, White ibis and Painted stork.

The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP)

This is an offshore shipping canal project in the Palk Bay. It plans to cut short the distance navigated by ships sailing from the west coast and bound for ports on the east coast by avoiding circumnavigation of Sri Lanka. Ships would navigate through the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay and enter the Bay of Bengal directly.

As per the present plan, the total length of SSCP would be about 260 km - about 120 km from Tuticorin Port to Adam's Bridge (in Gulf of Mannar), and about 140 km north of Rameswaram from Adam's Bridge to Bay of Bengal channel (in Palk Bay). Overall GOM and Palk Strait cover an area of 10,500 kms. In general, the canal will have a depth of 12 meters enabling 10,000 to 12,000 GRT vessels to pass through. The Government of India is proposing to dredge a width of 300 meter through 44 nautical miles long stretch. It is estimated that 32.5 million cubic meter sand will be dredged in the Adam's bridge area and around 52 million cubic meters in Palk Strait.

By allowing for passage of ships up to 30,000 DWT will unquestionably cause changes to the sediment flow, oceanographic parameters, nutrient cycles and irreversible damage to critical marine habitats, endangered and migratory species, within the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay.

The Gulf of Mannar - one of world's richest marine biological resources

The Gulf has been chosen as a biosphere reserve primarily because of its biological and ecological uniqueness. The region has a distinctive socio-economic and cultural profile shaped by its geography. It has an ancient maritime history and was famous for the production of pearls. Pearl has been an important item of our trade as early as the first century A.D. On the Indian Side Rameswaram, with its links in legend to the Ramayana, has been an important pilgrim centre. The region has been and continues to be famous for its production of chank.

In addition, the biosphere reserve in the area has 17 different mangrove species. It constitutes a live scientific laboratory of national and international value. It has 3,600 species of plants and animals. This is India's biologically richest coastal region. It is, of course, specially known for its corals, of which there are 117 species belonging to 37 genera. There is a chain of shoal, called Adam's Bridge. It is an inlet of the Indian Ocean, between South Eastern India and Western Sri Lanka.

The globally significant and endemic species of this biodiverse region stands threatened. The proposed project will be within 6km of India's first and largest Biosphere Reserve, which is internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.

Biosphere Reserves are nominated by national governments under a UNESCO's Programme to "reduce biodiversity loss; improve livelihoods and enhance social, economic and cultural conditions for environmental sustainability".

Project's economic viability and justification of the SSCP

Various documents fundamental for the justification of the SSCP, such as the EIA report, Detailed Project Report, Technical Feasibility and the Economic Analysis report, have been criticised by several experts in environmental science, earth sciences, oceanography, geology, naval hydrography, marine biology, environmental policy, law, economics, and maritime navigation who have concluded that the environmental and social impacts on the biodiversity of the region, including endangered or threatened migratory species and their habitats as well as the financial viability of the project have not been adequately assessed or predicted.

Analyses of the project by economic, shipping and marine navigation experts conclude that previous cost-benefit analyses and financial feasibility studies have not adequately or accurately forecast the costs to potential SSCP users, thereby questioning the project's economic viability;

There are concerns that this project will have severe, deleterious impacts on the above mentioned endangered and threatened migratory species and their habitats, local marine and coastal biodiversity, fisheries and marine related livelihoods of communities in the region of Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar.

MOU - IOSEA

Some of the above analysis and concerns were raised at the Fifth Meeting of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia (IOSEA) (Bali, 20-23 August 2008).

This is an innovative regional agreement prepared for the meeting of 27 signatories to a region-wide turtle conservation agreement. The MOU is a non-binding intergovernmental agreement that aims to protect, conserve, and recover marine turtles and their habitats in the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia region.

Official delegations from more than 30 countries were expected to attend the Bali conference.

The meeting will review the implementation of an ambitious conservation and management plan containing 24 programme areas. Particular attention will be given to coastal development issues and fisheries interactions with marine turtles - with mega-projects in India and the tuna long line industry in Indonesia serving as case studies. The meeting will also discuss the possible creation of a network of critical sites for marine turtles.

The Signatory States to the IOSEA MOU, Urge,

that a comprehensive regional environmental impact assessment study be carried out by an independent agency to determine the likely impacts of the project on the environment within the contiguous marine and terrestrial territories of India and Sri Lanka, including all endangered and threatened migratory species and their habitats, and a report prepared for public consultation in India, Sri Lanka, and other States likely to be affected before any further construction activities related to the SSCP are taken forward; that a comprehensive and independent economic and financial feasibility analysis be carried out by an independent agency any further construction activities related to the SSCP are taken forward; that these analyses take into account views and opinions of various relevant inter-governmental bodies and agencies, including, but not limited to, UNESCO, UNEP, FAO and IMO, and also take into account written statements from various community institutions (such as village committees) of each coastal village in the area of influence on the project;

that the above documents are translated into the local languages and disseminated to communities and civil society for public consultation and for the purpose of conducting fresh public hearings in India and Sri Lanka on the SSCP to assess the full environmental and economic implications of the project.

It is the opinion the of experts that rushing through with the project without analysing related environmental and other issues related to sedimentation and meteorological regimes might cause a great environmental & economic disaster.