Hundreds Of Houses Develop Cracks, Residents Flee Fearing 'Joshimath Is Sinking'

Residents of Joshimath in Uttarakhand are living a nightmare as they see their town sink slowly.

Hundreds of houses, roads and farmlands have developed cracks over the past few weeks, causing panic among the residents of Joshimath, who considered the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Saheb, Valley of Flowers, and Auli.

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More than 500 houses damaged

According to residents of the town in Chamoli district, as many as 561 houses have developed cracks due to continued land subsidence.

At least 66 families have fled the town because their homes developed cracks and many more need urgent evacuation as their houses have become unsafe.

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District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi said that so far, 561 houses in different areas of the town have developed cracks, including 153 in Ravigram, 127 in Gandhinagar, 71 in Manoharbagh, 52 in Singhdhar, 50 in Parsari, 29 in Upper Bazar, 27 in Suneel, 28 in Marwadi and 24 in Lower Bazar.

"Now the process of increasing cracks in Singhdhar and Marwadi has started. Badrinath NH near Singhdhar Jain locality and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department check post, is continuously cracking. This crack is increasing every hour, which is worrying," said Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar.

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What is causing the damage?

Located at the height of 6,000 feet, Joshimath was built on an ancient landslide site. Due to rapid urbanisation and unplanned development, including construction on the slopes and mining, the town has become unstable from within.

The Disaster Management Department has reported cases of water seepage from below ground in the earthquake-prone region.

An expert panel set up by the Uttarakhand government found that ground subsidence ¡ª a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the earth's surface due to removal or displacement of subsurface materials ¡ª has induced structural defects and damage, observed in almost all wards of Joshimath.

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The government has also formed a team of scientists, including engineers from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute and IIT Roorkee, to find out the reason behind the occurrence of land subsidence in Joshimath.

Resident demand rehabilitation

Meanwhile, hundreds of Joshimath residents took to the streets on Wednesday with flaming torches demanding rehabilitation.

Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti convener Atul Sati said they are demanding immediate rehabilitation of residents of Joshimath.

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The base of the town is sinking and the life of residents is in great danger, he said.

"We have been demanding our immediate rehabilitation for a year, but we are not being heard," Sati said.

Joshimath is the last border town of strategic, religious and tourist importance which falls into seismic zone V, he said.

If an earthquake occurs, it will cause extensive damage to life and property, Sati warned.

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