Part 5

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Causeway

Sethu was cut for navigation of boats across Palk bay and Gulf of Mannar by Krishnania Naick in 15th Century. A Causeway was Constructed by making a small cut in Sethu of few feet wide and less than 4 feet deep at high tide of sea. Boats pass through canal at High tide time and Land Vehicles move across the canal at Low tide time.

Causeway
The Sethu was cut, a Causeway was Constructed for navigation by Krishnania Naick in 15th Century AD Boats pass through at High Tides of the sea and Land Vehicles move across the canal at Low Tides.

India

Sea

Sri Lanka

Sea Bottom

Causeway Constructed By Krishnana Naik Connecting The Two Sea

Boats crossing the Causeway At High Tide Of The Sea

Palk Strait/ Bay Ramnad

Rameswaram

Gulf Of Mannar

Causeway Constructed By Krishnana Naik Connecting The Two Sea

Vehicles crossing the Causeway At Low Tide Of The Sea

Ramnad

Palk Strait/ Bay

Rameswaram

Gulf Of Mannar

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

This Causeway was washed off by a storm in 1480 AD making the opening a part of Sea to a width of about 2 km, isolating Rameswaram, to become an island.

Causeway Constructed By Krishnania Naick was washed off by a storm in 1480 AD

Palk Strait/ Bay

Ramnad

Rameswaram
Gulf Of Mannar

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

This Causeway was washed off by a storm in 1480 AD Making the Opening a part of Sea to a width of 2.3 KM Drifting Sand and Silt from Palk bay into Isolating Gulf of Mannar Rameswaram to become an island.
Sea

India

Sri Lanka

Sea Bottom

Pumban Canal
The British ships moving between Bombay on west coast and Madras, Calcutta in the east coast had to go round the Ceylon. To cut down the distance, opening made by Krishnania Naick was deepened for navigation at the present Pumban Canal linking the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into Gulf of Mannar Increased.

Pumban Canal

India
Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into deep sea

Sea

Sri Lanka
Sea Bottom

Boat Mail The British linked Madras and Colombo in Ceylon by a train called Boat Mail in 1914. The train starting from Egmore passes through Ramanadu, steams over the Pumban Bridge, Rameswaram and reaches the Jetty at Dhanuskodi. Then by steamer to Talaimannar in Ceylon and finally reaches Colombo.

Pumban Bridge The railway bridge at Pumban is 2.3 KM long constructed across the sea. This bridge opens over Pumban canal to give way to the ships. While the bridge served as land link, the canal was a link between west coast and east coast of India for British ships.

Pumban Bridge

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

The Sethu was cut for th navigation around 15 Century AD near the present Pumban bridge

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

The Sethu was cut for navigation around 15th Century AD near the present Pumban bridge
Palk bay
Pamban bridge

India

Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into deep sea

Sri Lanka

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

India
Palk bay
Pamban bridge

The sand deposits were washed into deep sea and attained the present shape

Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into deep sea

Sri Lanka

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

India
Palk bay
Pamban bridge

The sand deposits were washed into deep sea and attained the present shape

Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into deep sea

Sri Lanka

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Space images taken by NASA

Dhanushkodi Rameswaram Pamban bridge ADAMS BRIDGE Notice The Huge Deposit Of Sand

Sri Lanka

Indian Side

Notice The Sand Movement Towards Deep Sea.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Sand Movement Calculations
At Pumban Bridge Area
Dredged Depth of Pumban Bridge Dredged length of Pumban Bridge
Area Dredged at Pumban Bridge 3 Height x 100 Length Average velocity of under currents Average time span of under currents Due to Tides No of Tides per Day Days in a Year Percentage of sand carried by sea currents Apprx Sand Drifting into Indian Ocean/ year (Dredged area x Current velocity x Tide span x Tides per year x % sand washed) Truck Loads in Lakhs per year 355 Lakhs 70,956,000 Cu Mts

3 Mts 100 Mts

300 Sq Mts 1.5 Mts/Sec 3 Hrs 2 No 365 days 2 %

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

On passage of time the wooden floating bridge perished.
What is visible from Satellite and attained the name Adams Bridge is the shoal of rocks used as anchors for the floating bridge by Rama.

India

Sea

Sri Lanka

Sea Bottom

Aerial View Of Adams Bridge (Floating Bridge In Ramayanam)

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

The Sethu was cut for navigation around 15th Century AD near the present Pumban bridge

India
Sand washed off from Palk bay falls into deep sea

Sea

Sri Lanka

Sea Bottom

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Eroded Indian Coast

Sand Formation Below Sea Surface

Deep formation before Pamban bridge,

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

This picture shows the erosion in Palk bay in the last four centuries and attained equilibrium.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation The Sethu was cut for navigation around 15th Century AD. The Palk bay and the east coast attained the present shape after the sand deposits were washed into deep sea of Indian Ocean.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation Many places on east coast were effected. The erosion of the east coast in some places may be up to 5 KM. Kavaripoombokar patnam near Nagapatnam submerged in sea, Mahabalipuram lost 5 Temples out of 7, Visakhapatnam lost Visakha Temple, Chilka Lake turned salty from fresh water. Many other places on the east coast were washed off in the last 400 years.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

The sand washed off from the east coast formed into small islands south west of Pumban Bridge
Sand Movement

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

A small part of the washed off silt, soil and sand formed into small islands South West of Pumban Canal in gulf of Mannar.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Space images taken by Google Earth

Notice The Sand Movement Towards Gulf of Manar

Present Picture Of Sethu

India
Palk bay Shallow Waters
Pamban bridge Rameswaram Dhanushkodi

Deep Sea
A part of Setu has a shape like Dhanush (bow) preventing sand from drifting into deep sea

Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka

See Part 6 For

One More Disaster In 1964

A part of Dhanushkodi submerged by sea in 1964 During a Big Cyclone.

Vehicles crossing the Causeway At Low Tide Of The Sea

Ramna d

Palk Strait/ Bay

Rameswar am

Gulf Of

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

Eroded Indian Coast

Sand Formation Below Sea Surface

Deep formation before Pamban bridge,

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation Many places on east coast were effected. The erosion of the east coast in some places may be up to 5 KM. Kavaripoombokarpatnam near Nagapatnam submerged in sea, Mahabalipuram lost 5 Temples out of 7, Visakhapatnam lost Visakha Temple, Chilka Lake turned salty from fresh water. Many other places on the east coast were washed off in the last 400 years.

Disaster After Sethu Opened For Navigation

The sand washed off from the east coast formed into small islands south west of Pumban Bridge
Sand Movement