Ram Sethu, Sethumandir

1
Ram Sethu, Sethumandir

• Suspend project work
• Re-evaluate maritime impact, socio-conomic/strateg
  ic impacts
• Choose alternative channel
• Since tsunami (Dec. 2004), only two public
  hearings have been held
• No public hearings have been held after 2-2-2005
  no explanations offered on impact of tsunami on
  chosen alignment
• Save Ram Sethu, it is Sethumandir
• Sarasvati Research CentreAkhila Bharatiya
  Itihasa Sankalana Yojana March 19,
  2007kalyan97_at_gmail.com S. Kalyanaraman, Ph.D.
  Former Sr. Exec., Asian Development Bank

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NASA images showing bridge
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How Ram Sethu saved Bharatam coastline on Dec.
26, 2004 (computer simulation)
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Google earth 2007 satellite image showing
Dhanushkodi (India), Palk Strait (Globe2) and
Ramar Bridge (Globe1) and Talaimannar (Srilanka)
Ramar bridge
Park Straits
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Malabar Bowen map (1747) drawn by Netherlands
shows Ramarcoil I (that is, Rama temple).
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Ramar Bridge cited in map drawn by Joseph Parks,
Australian Botanical explorer (1788) (Map in
Sarasvati Mahal Lib., Thanjavur)
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Ram Sethu renamed as Adams Bridge (by Colonial
regime)

• Map of 1804 called Ram Sethu asAdams bridge
• This map was drawn by Rennell, the First Surveyor
  General of British India
• Since 15th cent. all geographers have always
  referred to it as a BRIDGE connecting Dhanushkodi
  (Bharatam) and Talaimannar (Srilanka)

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Ram Sethu as World Heritage site

• Valmiki describes the construction of Sethu in
  detail.
• hastimaatraan mahaakaayaaH paaSaaNaamshca
  mahaabalaaH parvataamshca samutpaaTya yantraiH
  parivahanti ca Valmiki Ramayana 2-22-58Vaanara
  having huge bodies, with mighty strength uprooted
  elephant-sized rocks and mountains and
  transported them by mechanical contrivances
  (yantraih).
• Vedavyasa refers to Nalasetu
• nalasetur iti khyato yo 'dyapi prathito bhuvi
  ramasyajña? purask?tya dharyate girisa?nibha?
  MBh. 3.267.45
• .... which even today, popular on earth as Nala's
  bridge, mountain-like, is sustained out of
  respect for Lord Rama's command. (Nala was son
  of Viswakarma)

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Strategic implications

• The bridge area is close to region with Thorium
  sands of Kerala (the largest deposits known in
  the world)
• .
• Explore the maritime zone for mineral resources
  to support Bharatams nuclear plans

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Forster L, Forster P, Lutz-Bonengel S, Willkomm
H, Brinkmann B (2002) Natural radioactivity and
human mitochondrial DNA mutations. Proc Natl Acad
Sci USA 9913950-13954http//www.mcdonald.cam.ac
.uk/genetics/images/kerala_lowres.jpg

• Close to Ramsethu, natural radioactivity from the
  black thorium sands of Kerala (India) is
  accelerating the DNA mutation rate in the local
  population.
• Most of these new mutations have hit the same DNA
  positions that have mutated naturally in at least
  the past 60,000 years of human evolution.

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Importance of Thorium for Bharat

• From BARC website Thorium deposits - 3,60,000
  tonnes
• The currently known Indian thorium reserves
  amount to 358,000 GWe-yr of electrical energy and
  can easily meet the energy requirements during
  the next century and beyond.
• Indias vast thorium deposits permit design and
  operation of U-233 fuelled breeder reactors.
• These U-233/Th-232 based breeder reactors are
  under development and would serve as the mainstay
  of the final thorium utilization stage of the
  Indian nuclear programme.
• http//www.barc.ernet.in/webpages/about/anu1.htm

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Indias nuclear fuel reserves explore near
Ramsethu (ilmenite sands)

• The US study can be downloaded from
  www.carnegieendowment.org/publications Tellis
  notes that India reserves of 78,000 metric tons
  of uranium.
• eight reactors allocating a quarter of their
  cores for the production of weapons-grade
  material, uranium needed would be 19,965 to
  29,124 tons.
• two research reactors will need 938 to 1,088
  tons.
• These would yield India 12,135 to 13,370
  kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium.
• Thorium blanket as fuel will be the nuclear fuel
  of the future for Bharatam, which has the largest
  reserves of thorium in the world. .

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THORIUM, a very rare metal, is a gray powder with
metallic lustre which, heated in Air, burns with
great splendour.Produces Thoria, snow-white
whilst hot, yellow when cold. Thorium does not
exist native, but combined with Silica in Thorite
Found in Norway,and in min'ral Monascite. J.
Carrington Sellars, Chemistianity, 1873, p.
156-157

• http//elements.vanderkrogt.net/images/thorite.jpg
  
• Thorium was named after Thor, the mythical
  Scandinavian god of war.
• The most important source of thorium is the
  mineral monazite. The largest reserves of thorium
  are in placer deposits. (A placer deposit is a
  deposit of heavy-mineral sands deposited by
  moving water.) Some thorium has been recovered
  from igneous veins and igneous carbonate deposits
  called carbonatites.

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This is a mid-sea channel (unlike Panama and Suez
Canals which are land-based)

• A team of scientists from led by Dr.V.J.Loveson
  of the Council for Industrial and Scientific
  Research (CISR) New Delhi, studying placer
  deposits in the area, says an estimated 40
  million tonnes of Titanium alone has been
  deposited in the entire stretch of 500 kilometer
  coastline.
• Tsunami of Dec. 2004 has changed bathymetry
  (sea-depth) of the region
• NIOT core samples should be subjected to detailed
  geological analysis for evaluation of mineral
  resources

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Alternative alignments identified since 1961
(need reevaluation wrt tsunami) Kilakarai reef
(red) sankha (Rs. 50 crore turn-over p.a.8000
yr old industry)Manali reef (blue) algae
(ayurvedic drug) http//sethusamudram.gov.in
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Strategic locus Diego garcia, Trincomalee,
Straits of Malacca

• Bharatam has a geostrategic role in safeguarding
  the sea-lanes between Straits of Hormuz and
  Straits of Malacca.
• The channel should be close to Pamban island and
  not close to Kaccha Tivu or the international
  waters (ocean border between Bharat and Srilanka)
  
• Decide on alignment in consultation with coast
  guard, navy and nuclear other security experts.

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US Navy operational directive historic waters,
intl. waters

• India's ClaimsARCHIPELAGIC, STRAIGHT BASELINES,
  HISTORIC CLAIMS
• Aug 76 Act No. 80  Enables government to declare
  waters as historic. Jun 79 Law No. 41Waters of
  Palk Bay between coast and boundary with Sri
  Lanka claimed as internal waters waters of Gulf
  of Mannar between coast and maritime boundary
  claimed as historic waters.This claim is not
  recognized by the United States.  U.S. conducted
  operational assertions in 1993 and 1994, to Gulf
  of Mannar claim in 1999.

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Violation of due process

• NEERI did NOT review the present alignment
• NEERI (environment) and NIOT (sea-depth or
  bathymetry) reviews did NOT take into account
  impact of tsunami (which happened on Dec. 26,
  2006, two years after NEERI evaluation)
• PMO asked (March 8, 2005) for a review of tsunami
  impact
• Raghupathy, Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust gave a
  reply on 30 June 2005 (without consulting NEERI
  and NIOT)
• On 2 July 2005 PM and Chairperson UPA inaugurate
  project at Madurai
• PM should explain how he satisfied himself within
  two days the adequacy of the replies given by
  Raghupathy.
• Why were the 16 questions raised by PMO NOT
  referred to NEERI and NIOT?

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Present channel alignment will it cope with a
tsunami? Prof. Tad S Murthy says, NO.
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Serious concerns raised by scientists about the
present alignment

• Prof. Tad S Murthys objections were cited in
  PMOs letter of Jan. 2005
• Prof. Tad S Murthy is a tsunami expert who
  advised Govt. of India on tsunami warning system
  and edited Tsunami journal for over 20 years
• He said Change the mouth of the alignment (Bay
  of Bengal) norwestwards to avoid destruction of
  Kerala by next tsunami
• Scientists say tsunami is likely to recur as in
  Japan and Hawaii. Japan has built protective
  coastal walls
• Tsunami protective measures should become an
  integral part of the channel and the channel
  should be re-aligned

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Prof. Tad S. Murthys views (1)

• The Tuticorin Port Trust, which is executing the
  channel project, does not think a realignment is
  necessary."(This) I absolutely disagree with. I
  have analysed the problem to my complete
  satisfaction," Murty maintained. He cited the
  example of the Alberni canal on Vancouver Island
  in British Columbia."The Sethusamudram canal
  has many characteristics similar to the Alberni
  canal, and this is the reason I am concerned.
  "In the March 28, 1964, Alaska earthquake
  tsunami, outside of Alaska the largest tsunami
  amplitude was at the head of the Alberni canal
  well inland and not at the open coast as everyone
  expected. Later, I explained this was due to (a
  phenomenon known as) quarter wave resonance
  amplification," Murty explained.
• http//www.elaw.in/issue/sethu.htm

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Prof. Tad S. Murthys views (2)

• From tad murty lt tadmurty_at_gmail.comgtDate Feb
  21, 2007 1256 AM To Kumar Chellappan
  ltkumarchellappan_at_gmail.com gt
• Q. Could you be specific about the south Kerala
  angle in the eventuality of another tsunami?------
  
• A. During the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th
  December 2004, the very southern part of Kerala
  was generally spared  from a major tsunami,
  mainly because the tsunami waves from Sumatra
  region travelling south of the Sri Lankan
  Island,  partially diffracted northward and
  affected the central  part of the Kerala
  coast.Since tsunami is a long gravity wave
  (similar to tides and storm surges) during the
  diffraction process, the rather wide turn it has
  to take spared  south Kerala coast. On the
  otherhand,  deepening the Sethu Canal  might
  provide a more direct route for the tsunami and
  this could impact south Kerala.In late  2005  I
  had a face to face discussion in Chennai  during
  a very cordial meeting with Shri Raghupathy(I do
  not know his exact title, but he is the head of
  the project, to the best of my knowledge) during
  which I raised this point. I requested him to
  consider slightly re-orienting the entrance of
  the Sethu  canal on the Bay of Bengal side, so
  that in future tsunami events, tsunami energy
  will not be preferentially funnelled into the
  Sethu canal. Shri Raghupathy assured me that he
  will look into this matter. When a senior IAS
  officer  like Shri Raghupathy says something, I
  beleive him and I have no further concerns on
  this matter.

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Heritage, Eco-wealthDhanushkodi washed away in
1964 Rama-paadam1220 m. mandapam
Ramalingesvara mandir(17th cent.) Coral reef
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90-year old Pamban (cantilever) bridge
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Dhanushkodi aerial view, Intl. waters
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Dhanushkodi, fishing villages
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Summary

• PMOs 16 queries of Jan. 2005 should be evaluated
  by a multi-disciplinary team
• Re-evaluate and choose from four previous
  alignments (no impact on Ramasethu (Adams
  Bridge)
• Re-evaluate environmental and bathymetry reports
  based on impact of the last tsunami of Dec. 24,
  2006
• Start maritime exploration to place Bharatams
  nuclear program on a self-reliant phase using
  thorium
• Suspend channel work until this re-evaluation is
  completed
• Respect peoples sentiments

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Dredging status 16 March 2007
                                                  
                 
 
No progress in Palk Bay II (40.68 kms.) Total
dredging quantity 20.95 m. cum
http//sethusamudram.gov.in/Projectstatus.asp
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What can be done?

• 1. PM to be asked to get a fresh evaluation done
  by NEERI and NIOT
• 2. Demonstrate the implications to
• His Excellency President of India
• Honble Chief Justice, Supreme Court
• Honble Judge, Rameswaram Court
• 3. PIL in Supreme Court The last PIL filed (June
  2005) in Madras HC was not entertained stating
  mega projects should not be stalled in the name
  of environmental concerns and directed that
  proceedings of the public hearings be immediately
  sent to the Union Environment Ministry.)
  http//www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Jun292005
  /national1251322005628.asp
• 4. Issues related to impact of tsunami were NOT
  brought up in the the June 2005 PIL.
• 5. Create public awareness on the issues involved
  to force the government to re-evaluate and/or
  re-align the channel after consultations with
  multi-disciplinary teams.
• 6. Raise the issue in Parliament as serious a
  world heritage concern as Ayodhya.