RAMANATHAPURAM
After the district administration chalked out a plan to conserve sand dunes on Rameswaram- Dhanushkodi- Arichamunai stretch and promote ecotourism, a three-member team from the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, visited the stretch on Thursday to prepare an outline.
Accompanied by Collector S. Natarajan, Professor K.V. Devi Prasad, and Assistant Professors G. Poyyamoli and A. Yogamoorthy inspected the sand dunes at Arichamunai, the eastern tip of Rameswaram island, and along the newly laid 9-km-long road.
“We have come here at the invitation of the Collector to observe sand dunes and suggest how best they could be conserved for the promotion of ecotourism,” Prof. Prasad told The Hindu .
The conservation of sand dunes with plantation of local species, best suited for the region, would serve the double purpose of promoting ecotourism in the island and protecting the newly laid road from natural disasters. The project would take off after the team prepared the outline and presented a report to the district administration, he said.
The department would prepare the report in coordination with Forest department and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, which protected the biosphere reserve in the Gulf of Mannar region, comprising 21 islets, Prof. Prasad said.
Stating that the project was at the nascent stage, he said the department would formally tie up with the district administration for implementing the project after finalising the report.
The sand dunes conservation project would pave way for ecotourism in a big way, Mr. Natarajan said, adding the district administration was keen on developing ecotourism in the region and implementing the project in six months’ time.
As part of ecotourism promotion, a museum would be established to enlighten tourists on the historical background of Dhanushkodi, the once flourishing port town, devastated in the 1964 cyclonic storm, he said.
Revenue Divisional Officer R. Baby, Personal Assistant to Collector (Development) Uma Mageswari and officials from Forest department were present during the team’s visit.
