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Over harvesting of marine resources
Over harvesting of marine resources threatens to disrupt the ecological balance of the region as a whole. In a situation where there is no control exerted over who takes how much, the result has been that the trawlers are catching most of the fish, through techniques like {bottom trawling}, precluding the smaller, traditional craft from catching their share. This in turn forces them to take up destructive practices such as mangrove cutting and coral mining in and around the park. Seagrass beds are also harmed by inappropriate bottom trawling practices.
Pollution by industries
Pollution by industries is largely on the southern side of Gulf. The major polluting sources include effluent from chemical industries and a thermal power plant. The dumping of fly ash slurry into the Karapad bay by the thermal power station has resulted not only in filling up of an extensive portion of the Bay, but also fly ash entering the sea directly. The ash, on being carried far into the sea has caused irreversible and extensive damage to the sedimentary biota, algal beds, chank, corals, pearl oysters and to all the biota connected with the reefs. Mangroves, which grow on the margin of the shoreline, have come to accommodate alarmingly high levels of ash borne contamination.
Sethu Samudram
The most crucial threat, which would be the telling blow, is the proposed Sethu Samudram Canal. The Sethu Samudram Ship Canal Project on the coast of Tamil Nadu is under serious consideration by both state and central governments, and allocations have been made for this project in the latest budget. The project threatens to destroy the pristine Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere. It entails the dredging of a canal to enable faster sea travel between the east and west coasts to prevent ships having to around Sri Lanka. The Canal will destroy the unique and fragile marine ecology of the area through constant dredging to maintain a canal depth of about 10-14 m. Aside from the immediate area of the sea bed, the consistent churning of sediment will also smother the coral reefs. The increase in shipping traffic will inevitably result in an increase in oil spills and marine pollution.
Over harvesting of marine resources threatens to disrupt the ecological balance of the region as a whole. In a situation where there is no control exerted over who takes how much, the result has been that the trawlers are catching most of the fish, through techniques like {bottom trawling}, precluding the smaller, traditional craft from catching their share. This in turn forces them to take up destructive practices such as mangrove cutting and coral mining in and around the park. Seagrass beds are also harmed by inappropriate bottom trawling practices.
Pollution by industries
Pollution by industries is largely on the southern side of Gulf. The major polluting sources include effluent from chemical industries and a thermal power plant. The dumping of fly ash slurry into the Karapad bay by the thermal power station has resulted not only in filling up of an extensive portion of the Bay, but also fly ash entering the sea directly. The ash, on being carried far into the sea has caused irreversible and extensive damage to the sedimentary biota, algal beds, chank, corals, pearl oysters and to all the biota connected with the reefs. Mangroves, which grow on the margin of the shoreline, have come to accommodate alarmingly high levels of ash borne contamination.
Sethu Samudram
The most crucial threat, which would be the telling blow, is the proposed Sethu Samudram Canal. The Sethu Samudram Ship Canal Project on the coast of Tamil Nadu is under serious consideration by both state and central governments, and allocations have been made for this project in the latest budget. The project threatens to destroy the pristine Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere. It entails the dredging of a canal to enable faster sea travel between the east and west coasts to prevent ships having to around Sri Lanka. The Canal will destroy the unique and fragile marine ecology of the area through constant dredging to maintain a canal depth of about 10-14 m. Aside from the immediate area of the sea bed, the consistent churning of sediment will also smother the coral reefs. The increase in shipping traffic will inevitably result in an increase in oil spills and marine pollution.
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