Ocean swallows two islands in Gulf of Mannar
By S Raja and Gokul Chandrasekar
9 May 2011 RAMANATHAPURAM/CHENNAI: Two islands in the Gulf of Mannar have submerged within the last few months, arguably due to global warming. While officials at the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park attributed the submergence of Poomarichan and Vilangusalli islands to global warming, independent experts pointed their finger of suspicion at the generations-old illegal coral mining in the region. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that a couple of islands have gone off the Indian map. The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve consists of 21 islands. The smallest measures 0.6 acre while the biggest has an area of 321.2 acres. Put together, their total area is 6.23 sq km. Based on their location, they are divided into four units: Thoothukudi, Vembar, Keelakarai and Mandapam groups. While Poomarichan is part of Mandapam group, Vilangusalli is one of the four in the Thoothukudi group. According to Sundara Kumar, GOMMNP warden, the two islands went underwater as the water level increased due to global warming. Bunkum, says Deepak Samuel, representative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust. “Illegal coral mining is the major cause for islands to submerge and not climate change,” he argues. “The corals act as a barrier and take the tidal pressure thereby preventing erosion of the islands. Generations of exploitation of corals has resulted in the islands facing the entire brunt of the sea causing it to submerge,” he claims. …
