Joshimath ground subsidence: PMO holds high-level meeting, officials told to assess situation on ground

The Prime Minister’s Office held a high-level meeting with various government agencies and experts on Sunday to draft short, medium and long term plans to deal with the ground subsidence situation at northern Uttarakhand’s Joshimath hill town.

The land of the Joshimath has been sinking because of weak foundation and enhanced toe erosion, coupled with the incessant rainfall and floods in the recent past. It is estimated that human activity remains the biggest contributor.

During the meeting, the officials and experts were asked to assist the state government to tackle the crisis. Apart from that, the Secretary of Border Management and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have been told to visit the Himalayan state tomorrow and assess the situation further.

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Experts from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun, have been asked by the state government to conduct a study of Joshimath area through satellite images and submit a detailed report with photographs.

Various agencies of the Union government and experts are assisting the Uttarakhand government in preparingshort, medium and long term plans.One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have already reached Joshimath.

Experts from National Disaster Management Authority, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute will also participate in the studies and deliberationsand give their recommendations accordingly.

India: Over 600 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks, leaving people in agony

Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar said that Joshimath has been declared a ‘landslide-subsidence zone’ and over 60 families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres while90 families are yet to be shifted to safety.

Chamoli district magistrate Himanshu Khurana went on a door-to-door to survey for assessing the damageand appealed people living in houses that have developed cracks to move to relief centres. He urgedpeople to move out of unsafe houses as arrangements for their stay have been made in hotels, homestays and other safe places.The state government will pay Rs 4,000 per month for up to six months to those who want to move to rented accommodations, he added.

The Geological Survey of India has been tasked with examining the suitability of Koti Farm, Herb Institute and the horticulture department's land in Joshimath and in Pipalkoti's Semaldala area for rehabilitation purposes.

The requests were made by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami after visiting the affected areas in Joshimath.

Why Joshimath is important?

Joshimath is considered the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli.

Warnings ignored?

There is palpable anger among the people against the government, claiming that they have been apathetic to the warnings about the dangerous situation of buildings in the Himalayan town due to heavy construction activities going on around it.

High court’s help sought

A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court asking the judiciary to direct the central government to constitute a committee headed by a retired judge to look into the issue of the sinking of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and rehabilitate the affected families.

The plea, which has pointed out the woes of over 3000 people of Joshimath, states that cracks have developed in at least 570 houses due to continued land subsidence.

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After sinking of land, over 60 families are reported to have left the town while others are either risking their lives by staying there or searching for alternate accommodation in winter, it claimed.

Are other areas also at risk?

Experts believe that other tourist areas like Uttarkashi and Nainital are also at risk of land sinking, putting the lives of hundreds and thousands of people at risk.

Dr Bahadur Singh Kotlia, Professor of Geology at Kumaun University, told India Today that the main new reason behind the sudden sinking is because of the reactivation of the Main Central Thrust (MCT-2)— a geological fault where the Indian Plate has pushed under the Eurasian Plate along the Himalayas.

"This MCT-2 zone has reactivated, which is causing the sinking of ground in Joshimath and no geologist can predict when this reactivation will happen. We have been warning governments for two decades now, but it was all ignored till now. You cannot fight geology, you cannot fight and win with nature," says Dr Bahadur Singh Kotlia, Professor of Geology at Kumaun University.

(With inputs from agencies)

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