The two sunken islands were once located in a group of twenty-one islands and islets in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, covering an area of nearly 560 sq km (216 sq miles) in the Indian Ocean. Photo source: ©© Breno Peck
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Two small islands in South Asia’s first marine biosphere reserve, in the Gulf of Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka, have essentially sunk into the ocean in recent years, primarily as a result of coral reef mining, experts said. The corals were mined for use as a binding material in the construction industry, as they were rich in calcium carbonate.
The absence of any regulations prior to 2002 led to illegal mining of the coral reefs. Rising sea level as a result of global warming, was also a factor behind the islands’ submergence, and this sounded an alarm bell about the danger many more small islands face in the long run…
