2. The Design:

 

2.1 Design Procedure

The Channel has three basic components:

1) The structure of the channel proper,

2) The plan to dump the dredged material safely, and

3) Buildings and other Structures that shall be necessary for the regular functioning and maintenance of the canal.

The general philosophy followed worldwide in designing an offshore structure is as follows:

“Predictions about the ocean environment have to be made first. This should be based on the history of the environment. Ideally, hundreds of years of data should be used to calculate the distribution of waves, currents, or winds and their expected maximum values. In actual fact, the data for a particular location usually cover a much shorter period, and therefore, are a poor basis for predicting the future from the oceanographer-statistician’s point of view. Despite this, valid operating and design values can be obtained by one of several methods. The objective of the designer or operator of offshore structures, pipelines, vessels, etc., is to arrive at a design likely to survive but also capable of being reconstructed at reasonable cost after failure. Thus the correct selection of the extreme environmental condition the structure is going to encounter during its life, assumes crucial importance. Once the extreme environmental conditions have been evaluated, the designer can, after calculating the risks and costs specify the design criteria and proceed to select the size, shape and configuration of the structure.” (A.K.Malhotra - “Ocean Science and Technology” p-32 , 1980)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig.1. The required process of design for the SSCP

 

So, to know what design the channel should have, we need to know the ocean environment of the Palk Bay and Adam’s Bridge (and Gulf of Mannar) in very definitive terms.