The Sethusamudram Ship Canal connecting the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar will be constructed by dredging a channel in the existing coastal waters either side of the Palk Bay. The canal will reduce the steaming distances between the east and west coast of India and will improve navigation within the territorial waters of India. It is a challenging project which will impose a range of impacts both in the short and long term on the coastal waters of both India and Sri Lanka.
A D Taylor, a commander in the Indian Navy, was the first in 1860 to propose a channel allowing ships to move between the eastern and the western coast without rounding Sri Lanka. The alignment he
Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, when completed, will transform parts of the southern coromandal coast qualitatively. Since historical times, this portion of the coast (Palk Bay, Adam’s Bridge) is used only to fleets of small crafts involved in coastal trading and fishing.
The Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project under the consideration of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, envisages creation of a ship navigation channel to suit different draughts (9.15 m, 10.7 m and 12.8m) through dredging/excavation in Adam’s Bridge, parts of Palk Bay and Palk Strait.
