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Joshimath News: Cracks in more than 600 houses in Joshimath, Uttarakhand. Why the land subsided? PM called a high level meeting.
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Cracks in more than 600 houses in Joshimath, Uttarakhand
First of all, let us know where Joshimath is – it is a very beautiful hill station surrounded by the Himalayas, which is at an altitude of 6000 above sea level. Joshimath is the place where Adi Shankaracharya meditated under a mulberry tree before attaining enlightenment in the eighth century. Joshimath is in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Auli is the best place to visit near Joshimath. Which is called Mini Switzerland.
What happened in the PMO meeting regarding Joshimath?
Seeing the seriousness of the Joshimath problem, a high level meeting of the PMO was held on Sunday. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister took stock of the situation. Giving information about the situation to the PMO, the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand was told that the central government agencies and a team of experts are preparing a plan to deal with the matter. People affected by landslides are being shifted to safer places. One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have already reached Joshimath.
Let us tell you that some teams that will reach there and take stock of the situation and present the report to the government include – 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. More than 600 houses in Joshimath, situated in the lap of the hills of Uttarakhand, have collapsed. Joshimath is situated at an altitude of 6000 feet above sea level and falls in the most prone zone of earthquakes. The incident that is happening in Joshimath these days is no less than a horrific tragedy. No one could have imagined that the situation there has become horrifying. The people there are forced to leave their homes. There are cracks everywhere, in homes, on roads, in temples everywhere, due to which the situation in Joshimath is getting worse. People are migrating, shifting to other places. Seeing such a situation, a question arises in one’s mind as to why this is happening.
What is the condition of Joshimath now, since when has all this been happening?
The present situation in Joshimath has become very frightening, but why is it like this, this question definitely arises in the mind. So let me tell you that the people there had given the news of land subsidence in the last year number 2022 itself. The houses of Joshi Math are showing cracks and the ground is sinking. After the survey conducted by the municipality there, it was found that in one year more than 500 houses in Joshimath had developed cracks. Even after this, when no news was received from the Uttarakhand government, the people there took out a rally accusing the government of not taking any positive steps. After which the matter caught fire and the news quickly spread through the media all over the world.
Three days after this, the administration there, in December 2022, conducted a survey of Joshimath by a five-member group of experts. The team included senior officers, engineers and geological experts. They inspected the houses and cities that had cracked. Apart from this, the officials talked to the affected people and went through the details of the cracks, whose houses had developed cracks. After this the five-member team submitted its report to the district administration.
Cracks in houses coming up in Joshimath and land sinking?
Cracks in houses and walls of Joshimath were reported for the first time in 2021. Because there are frequent landslides and floods in Chamoli of Uttarakhand adjacent to it. According to reports, the expert panel of the Uttarakhand government found in 2022 that many parts of Joshimath are receding due to man-made and natural causes. Earth surface, haphazard construction, leakage of water, erosion of upper soil and making roads by cutting mountains, construction of buildings, widening of roads are all the reasons for land subsidence in Joshimath.
The work of the ongoing NTPC project in Joshimath was stopped.
According to media reports, Sushil Kumar, commissioner of Garhwal division, has said that the work of NTPC project has been stopped. NTPC tunnel will also be investigated. Cracks in houses and roads are a matter of concern. The first thing it seems is that there is a water channel below, so there has been a crack but we have to wait for the scientific report. We are examining every aspect closely. We are ready to deal with any untoward incident. Tell you that till now more than 80 families have migrated from there and more than 3000 people are affected by this tragedy.
