Campaigners want Gulf of Mannar to be declared World Heritage site

Campaigners against the Sethusamudram shipping channel project have asked the Governments of India and Sri Lanka to take steps to have the "Gulf of Mannar" designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At a two-day meeting in London the campaigners from several countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, the US and Canada, said the proposed shipping channel project would threaten one of the world's most pristine marine regions, the many marine species living there and the culturally and spiritually significant Adam's Bridge also known as Ram Sethu.

Leading conservationists, ecologists and religious scholars presented the case for designating the Gulf of Mannar as a World Heritage Site and explained why the shipping channel project should be abandoned. The Gulf of Mannar is a shallow stretch of water separating India from Sri Lanka,, Sri Lankan ecologist Ranil Senanayake said.

PTI