CHENNAI: The Sethusamudram project was cleared based on a "flawed" Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report, prepared by the National Environmental Research Institute (NEERI), according to Greenpeace, an organisation working to expose global environmental problems.

The Greenpeace, which released a report here on Tuesday, said the EIA report, prepared in a hurry in 2004, did not provide critical data on the impact, and it was engineered to support a number of false recommendations.

The report, which the organisation said was prepared in a hurry in 2004, did not address the impact of dredging on the fisherfolks, including displacement. It had undermined and, in some instances, ignored the region's marine biodiversity. It gave false information that the endangered dugongs and dolphins were confined to the borders of the Gulf of Mannar National Park. Without conducting any primary studies, the report said all corals along the alignment were dead reef systems. The dredging was likely to destroy habitats and displace species. The consistent churning of sediment would also smother the coral reefs and damage sea grass, which in turn would affect the species dependent on them. The increase in shipping traffic would result more oil spills and marine pollution. The worst affected would be the fisherfolk, whose fishing areas would be reduced considerably once the canal was commissioned, the Greenpeace said.

"High risk factors

not considered"

The Sethusamudram would probably be the only offshore project in the world, in which the planners admitted publicly that they did not consider the high risk factors and yet decided to press ahead with implementation.

The project would turn out to be a failure, spelling disaster for the economy, the environment and the social fabric not only of India but also of Sri Lanka.

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