Techy
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2015
- Messages
- 222
- Reaction score
- 5
- Country
- Location
Research Vessel RV Sindhu Sadhna
India’s first indigenously-built marine research vessel RV Sindhu Sadhna is all set to commence its first sea journey — within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Bangladesh — ferrying scientists from the two countries to study the ecology and climate changes taking place in the Bay of Bengal region.
The exercise, to start sometime mid-October, follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) and the Dhaka University during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh a few months back.
The first-of-its-kind study in the Bay of Bengal region is being considered important for both Delhi and Dhaka due to several reasons.
It is for the first time that data will be collected from the region where even a minute environmental change has huge impact on India, be it related to climate or livelihood of the fishermen. “After all, world’s two biggest rivers — the Ganges and the Brahmaputra — fall in the region bringing over 1.6 million tonnes of sediments along with them,” NIO director Dr SWA Naqvi told The Pioneer.
The study zone extends up to 200 nautical miles where India never had any access.
Bangladesh is keen for the study as it is concerned about the rise in sea-level due to impending climate change. The two-phased historic cruise will span around 55 days. “A total of 29 scientists from India and Bangladesh will be part of the team. While 19 scientists will be from India, 10 scientists will be from the neighboring country,” Naqvi added.
While the vessel will start from Chennai, the research purview will be Mogla area to Chittagong in the Northern Bay of Bengal. Bangladeshi scientists have been trained by their Indian counterparts, said NIO senior scientist Rama Swamy.
Elaborating about the study, he said, “It will be a multi-disciplinary oceanographic expedition. All disciplines of Oceanography will be covered. The team will study the circulation of water, currents, impact of river run-off on circulation among others.”
The multi-disciplinary oceanographic research vessel Sindhu Sadhna was acquired by the Science and Technology Ministry’s CSIR in December 2013. It was formally dedicated to the nation in July last year.
