Following two days of deliberation in London last week, an international consortium of ecologists, academics, scientists and religious leaders agreed a resolution concerning the impact of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) on the Gulf of Mannar, the body of water that lies between India and Sri Lanka. The resolution calls for the Government of India to cancel the SSCP, and also requests the governments of India and Sri Lanka make an application to UNESCO to designate the Gulf of Mannar region as a mixed Cultural and Natural World Heritage Site. The resolution was delivered personally to the President of India, Mrs Pratibha Patil, by Dr Arya Wedakarna, Prince of Dalem Benculuh Tegeh Kori and grandson of the 1st King of Badung, Bali. Dr. Arya was one of the delegates to the London meeting.
These requests were made on the basis of presentations made at the international meeting, held at the historic Linnean Society, where 150 years ago Charles Darwin, first outlined his thoughts on natural selection and the origin of species. The overwhelming conclusion of the experts gathered was that the Gulf of Mannar has outstanding universal value as a biodiversity hotspot, as well as being a place of deep religious and sacred significance, and should remain intact for future generations.
Kusum Vyas, Founder and President of the Living Planet Foundation, of Houston, Texas, USA, which called the meeting, says: – “The array of deficiencies in the proposed Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project, combined with the threat it poses to the fragile ecosystems of the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay and Palk Strait, mean that cancellation of this project is now essential. Information presented at the London meeting made it clear that that views of important stakeholders have not been taken into account, including oft-repeated warnings, highly critical reviews and troubling questions raised by world-renowned specialists on the disastrous effects on the environment and to the livelihood of people in the region. It was unanimously felt by all present that the plight of our Planet MUST be taken into account for the future generations who will inherit what is left of our environment.”
Legal Representations
International environmental and human rights lawyers at the meeting outlined the legal flaws in the Indian government’s development of the SSCP, pointing out: –
- The conflict between the Indian governments support for UNESCO’s declaration of the Gulf of Mannar as a biosphere reserve in 1989, and it’s current refusal to heed warnings from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that the Gulf of Mannar will be severely impacted if the SSCP goes ahead.
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Flaws in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) commissioned by the Indian government, carried out in haste and failing to comply with the requirements of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration of 1992, which states that environmental issues are best handled with participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level
- The failure of the government to give appropriate access to information held by public authorities concerning the potential impacts of projects on the environment to affected communities (in particular local fishermen) and give them the opportunity to participate in the decision-making processes
- Failure to fulfil obligations under Article 13(d) of the Convention on Biological Diversity to notify Sri Lanka immediately of any danger and damage likely to be caused through the construction and operation of the ship canal and to prevent such damage
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Ecological Representations :
Ecologists and environmentalists at the meeting agreed that the operation and maintenance of the SSCP will have inevitable and disastrous ecological and social impact, including: –
- Disruption and damage to the productive marine ecosystem through a massive increase in the burden of silting and sedimentation, affecting coral reefs, sea grass beds, oyster beds and food fisheries.
- Salinization of the shallow aquifers on both sides of the channel as a consequence of hydraulic pressure acting on the vesicular limestone basin, contaminating and disrupting the freshwater supply to the coastal communities in both countries, and endangering and possibly even leading to the local extinction of important species such as the dugong, the green turtle, and at least 25 different species of sea snake.
- The likely collapse of the entire ecosystem.
Spiritual and Religious Representations :
Religious leaders at the Linnean Society meeting spoke of the significance to 1 billion Hindus worldwide of Ram Sethu, the limestone shoal set beneath the shallow waters of the Gulf, visible on satellite maps, and believed to be built by Lord Rama thousands of years ago, as narrated in the epic scripture, the Ramayana. The Awké: Kon guidelines under the Convention of Biological Diversity, which has been accepted by India, obligates the State to conduct impact assessments on a proposed development that may affect ‘the values, belief systems, customs, the relationship with the local environment and particular species’. This has not been done.
The resolution passed to the Indian President concludes that in the building and intended operation of the ship canal, the State of India has abdicated its obligation to be a trustee of India’s cultural and natural resources. However, concludes the resolution, given the diversity of under utilised renewable resources in a region that has undergone conflict over the past 20 years, the government of India, together with that of Sri Lanka, has the opportunity to build a sustainable future in line with the requirements of the Commission for Sustainable Development and thereby to foster peace and cooperation in the region, if it abandons the SSCP as requested.
For further details please see www.livingplanetfoundation.org
