Almost 4,000 die in cyclone in Myanmar; Toll could hit 10,000

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Trial run of ship through Sethu canal next week

File shot of the Pamban Bridge that connects Rameswaram to the mainland. The Port Trust has said that it will now allow smaller ships into the Palk Bay from Chennai upto Rameswaram (TOI Photo)

CHENNAI: A portion of the Sethusamudram ship channel may be ready for navigation, and a trial run of a fully-laden ship is likely to be held next week, the project head said on Monday.

The 54-km stretch in Palk Bay had been dredged, creating a depth in excess of 10 m, as against the planned depth of 12 m. It would be possible for small vessels that require a depth of 10 m to navigate from Chennai to Rameswaram, Chennai Port Trust chairman K Suresh, who also holds charge as chairman and managing director of Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd, said.

The Sethusamudram channel, now mired in litigation and controversy over plans to demolish Adam's Bridge, or Ram Sethu, a series of rocky shoals in the sea off Rameswaram, envisages deepening of the sea to help ships travel faster between the country's eastern and western coasts avoiding a circuitous route around Sri Lanka.

It is planned as a 167-km canal, of which the Palk Bay segment consists of 54-km, where dredging operations are at an advanced stage. Dredging in a 35-km stretch in the Adam's Bridge area has been suspended due to a Supreme Court interim order. A stretch of 78 km is deep enough and does not need dredging.

Suresh said Dredging Corporation of India, the dredging agency, sent out a survey vessel from April 4 to ascertain the depth reached so far. An initial survey report showed that the channel, for which a 12 m draft had been expected, had depth varying from 10 m to 11 m, with an average of 10.73 m in the first 18 km stretch. For the remaining 36 km, the depth varied from 10.75 m to 11.3 m.

"This indicates that dredging has been successful and the depth achieved averages 93%. It will now be possible for a vessel with a 10m draft requirement to navigate the coast from Chennai to Rameswaram," Suresh said, on the sidelines of a seminar.

"A trial run in the stretch using a fully-loaded vessel is slated for sometime next week," Suresh said.
Detractors of the project say the draft of 12 m in the 300m wide canal was not enough to carry large vessels.

However, the project proponents argue that the depth was enough to carry significant numbers of commercial vessels now in operation in the region.

Mexico Works to Protect Monarch Migration

Every year like clockwork, monarch butterflies in Canada pack their bags in September and head to Mexico for their winter break. The annual migration is a huge tourist attraction, and Mexico is working to further support it by expanding their nesting areas and curbing illegal logging in the region. The AP reported:

President Felipe Calderón pledged 4.6 million U.S. dollars toward advertising and equipment for the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which covers a 124,000-acre (50,000-hectare) swathe of trees and mountains that for thousands of years has served as the winter nesting ground to millions of orange-and-black-winged monarch butterflies.

Calderón said the plan would encourage tourism to an impoverished area where illegal logging has been rampant.

The logging has depleted the foliage where insects – a.k.a. butterfly food – reside. Fortunately, a staff of rangers "equipped with assault rifles and body armor," have been searching for gangs of lumber thieves, and their work has helped decrease logging in the area by 48 percent.

We at IT are glad to hear that tourism was the trigger that inspired Calderón to protect the forests - and the butterflies as a result.

Strange Planet: International Pillow Fight Day

Sea of Pillows - Great San Francisco Pillow Fight 2008

If you ever worried that your childhood is over, fear not: Saturday, March 22, is International Pillow Fight Day. From Boston to Budapest, New York to Hungary, pillow fights are taking over the planet.

Some cities have their own pillow fight tradition. San Franciscans gathered at Justin Herman Plaza near the Ferry Building on Valentine's Day for the annual Great San Francisco Pillow Fight. Photographer Romel Jacinto was there, and has the scoop on this annual San Fran event.

"It was everything I expected to be and more," says Jacinto. "Insanely crowded with several thousand in attendance, a diverse crowd from teens to those in business attire, goose feathers floating like snow, and the sound of pillows being pummeled. The pummeling was all in good fun though and it was heartening to see strangers shake hands after a well-fought exchange of pillow blows."

Check out the International Pillow Fight Day website to see if there's a pillow fight going on in your neighborhood. IT staffers are especially excited about the Washington, D.C., fight in Dupont Circle, just a couple blocks from our office.

INDIAN DERBY RACE WILL BE HELD ON 03 FEB 2008 AT MAHALAXMI RACE COURSE MUMBAI INDIA

PENINSULA A HORSE OWNED BY MR JAIDEV MODY OF J M LIVESTOCK IS EXPECTED TO WIN THIS

COVETED MULTIMILLION RACE FROM SWEEPING SUCCESS

THE ANTEPOST FAVOURITE FOR THE RACE

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