Context: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited Arichal Munai, the starting point of the Ram Setu.
About Ram Setu
- Adam's Bridge also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu, is a chain of natural limestone shoals between Pamban Island (Rameswaram Island) of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island of Sri Lanka.
- The feature is 48 km long and separates the Gulf of Mannar from the Palk.
- Some regions of the bridge are dry, and the sea in the area rarely exceeds 1 meter in depth, making it quite difficult for boats to pass over it.
Etymology
- The ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana (8th century BCE–3rd century CE) mentions a bridge constructed by the god Rama to reach the island Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from Ravana.
- In popular belief, Lanka is equated to present-day Sri Lanka and the bridge is described as "Rama's Setu".
Geological Evolution
- The lack of comprehensive field studies explains many of the uncertainties regarding the nature and origin of Adam's Bridge.
- It mostly consists of a series of parallel ledges of sandstone and conglomerates that are hard at the surface and grow coarse and soft as they descend to sandy banks.
- The Marine and Water Resources Group of the Space Applications Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) concludes that Adam's Bridge comprises 103 small patch reefs.
- One study tentatively concludes that there is insufficient evidence to indicate eustatic emergence and that the raised reef in southern India probably results from a local uplift.
Transport Corridor
- Due to shallow waters, Adam's Bridge presents a formidable hindrance to navigation through the Palk Strait.
- In 2005, the government of India approved a multi-million-dollar Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project.
- This project aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait by dredging the shallow ocean floor near Dhanush Kodi.
- The channel is expected to cut over 400 km (nearly 30 hours of shipping time) off the voyage around the island of Sri Lanka.
- This proposed channel's current alignment requires dredging through Adam's Bridge.
- Various organisations oppose dredging through the shoal on religious grounds.
- Some organizations oppose this project on economic and environmental grounds and claim that proper scientific studies were not conducted before undertaking this project.