Review of Environmental and Economic Aspects of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP) Sudarshan Rodriguez, Jacob John Rohan Arthur Kartik Shanker Aarthi Sridhar Citation: Rodriguez, S., J. John, R. Arthur, K. Shanker, A. Sridhar. 2007. Review of Environmental and Economic Aspects of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP). pp 76. Cover Photographs: Images from coral reefs and seagrass systems by Rohan Arthur. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and not necessarily that of the institutions they represent. 2 Project Team Contact Details: Sudarshan Rodriguez Flat 2B, Adithya Apartments 38 Balakrishna Road, Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600041. India. Phone: +91-44-52019470 E-mail:
[email protected] Jacob John 1, 3rd Cross, Vivekananda Nagar Bangalore 560033 Phone: +91-80 25462649 E-mail:
[email protected] Dr. Rohan Arthur Nature Conservation Foundation 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park Mysore 570002. India. Ph: +91-821-2515601 E-mail:
[email protected] Dr. Kartik Shanker Assistant Professor, Centre for Ecological Sciences Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 Ph: +-80-22933104 E-mail:
[email protected] Aarthi Sridhar Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) 659, 5th Main Road, Hebbal, Bangalore 560092. India Ph: +91-80-23533942 E-mail:
[email protected] 3 Table of Contents Introduction to the Review 6 Section 1: Issues Relating to Technical Aspects in Project Design, EIA and Related Studies 10 1. Sub-Surface Geology 12 2. Bathymetry 13 3. Information base and Data on Sedimentation 14 4. Cyclones, Monsoons and Sedimentation 17 5.