The Strait of Polk in the Indian Ocean is located between India and the northern tip of Sri Lanka. It connects with the Bay of Bengal in the northeast and the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest. Width is 55-137 km, its depth is from 2 to 9 m, length is 150 km. It was named after the English leader Robert Polk. At the southern end, it is dotted with shallow reefs forming the Rama Bridge and small islands near the Jaffna Peninsula. Most ships shun the treacherous waters of the strait. A ferry train crosses the strait (20 miles / 32 km) between Dhanushkodi (India) and Talaimannar (Sri Lanka).
Indira Gandhi Bridge
Also known as Pamban Bridge. This is a cantilever bridge across the Strait of Polk to India. It boasts that it is India’s first sea bridge and connects Rameshwaram Island with the mainland.
The two-lane road near the bridge allows you to get a clear view of the railway bridge and its amazing lifting mechanism, which allows ships to pass under it. There is only one train going through this bridge.
Consisting of 143 pillars, each 220 feet long and weighing 100 tons, the bridge is one of the most spectacular spots in Rameswaram. The scene shown in the Chennai Express movie was shot on Pamban Bridge.
Strait Shipping
The way to India through the Strait of Polk, where there are many reefs, is quite complicated. Shallow waters and limestone shallows of the strait impede the passage of large vessels, although fishing vessels and small boats engaged in coastal trade have sailed in its waters for centuries. But large vessels must also travel to Sri Lanka, and in 1860, for the first time, the British Indian government was offered the construction of a shipping channel through the strait. A number of commissions are studying this proposal to date.
Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project
This is a proposed project to create a shallow shipping lane between India and Sri Lanka. Its creation would provide a profitable shipping sea route around the Indian Peninsula. The canal will be deepened into the Setusamudram Sea between Tamil Nad and Sri Lanka, passing through the limestone deposits of the Adam Bridge (also known as the Rama Bridge, Ram Setu and Ramar Palam).
The project involves digging a deep-water channel 44.9 nautical miles (83.2 km) long, connecting the Strait of Polk with Mannar Bay. Conceived in 1860 by Alfred Dundas Taylor, he recently received the approval of the Indian government.
The proposed route through the reefs of the Adam bridge is rejected by some groups for religious, environmental and economic reasons. Five alternative routes were considered that prevent shallow damage. The most recent plan is to dig a canal approximately in the middle of the straits in order to provide the shortest and least maintenance course. This plan avoids the demolition of Ram Seth.
The value of the channel across the Strait of Polk
The need for such a waterway is as follows:
- The waters between India and Sri Lanka are shallow and not very favorable for massive ships, and maritime trade relations between the two peoples often depend on the possible volumes of goods delivered.
- Ships that sail from the west coast of India to the east coast are currently forced to bypass Sri Lanka due to the narrow, shallow, non-navigable Gulf of Mannar. The companies that own them are expected to participate in the costs of building the canal.
- It is estimated that the channel will reduce flight time, fuel use and, consequently, costs.
- It is worth considering the possibility of creating a large number of jobs, which at the same time will provide an increase in income and an increase in the status of people.
- When choosing the location of the proposed channel, strategic military significance was taken into account.