Geography

A festering crisis in the Palk Strait

·        The Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka.

·        It connects the Bay of Bengal within the northeast with Palk Bay inside the southwest.

·        Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu.

·        The strait is called after Robert Palk, who turned into a governor of Madras (1755–1763) at some stage in the Company Raj length.

·        The unique feature around Palk Strait is that the waves around it, to its north and south are of high contrast.

·        To the north, the waves of Bay of Bengal are generally swells waves at the same time as that on the south, in Palk Bay, are ordinarily sea waves. Despite being a sea ruled region, the substantial wave heights in Palk Bay areas are noticeably low.

·        Palk Bay is studded at its southern end with a sequence of low islands and reef shoals which are collectively known as Adam’s Bridge, it has historically been known in Hindu Mythology as “Ram Setu”, this is, the bridge of Rama.

·        This chain extends between Dhanushkodi on Pamban Island (also called Rameswaram Island) in Tamil Nadu and Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.

·        The island of Rameswaram is connected to the Indian mainland by way of the Pamban Bridge.