Joshimath crisis: 5.4 cm of rapid land subsidence recorded in 12 days. See satellite images
NEW DELHI,JAN 13: Satellite images of a ‘sinking’ Joshimath have shown how the town is gradually crumbling due to land subsidence. The images, released by the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), also reveal that a rapid subsidence of 5.4cm has been recorded in 12 days — between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023.
The 12-day sinking rate has been rapid as between April 2022 and November 2022, Joshimath saw a slow subsidence of 9 cm.
Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage centres, such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.
A total of 169 families living in the town have so far been shifted to relief centers as underground development activities, landslides and other related factors have led to major cracks in the walls of several houses in Joshimath.
Some structures have already collapsed, while others are in the process of being demolished by the authorities.
Rain hits sinking Joshimath: Cracks widen, ground fissures deepen
NRSC SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW RAPID SINKING OF JOSHIMATH
Meanwhile, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams in the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand on Friday began dismantling hotels that were marked ‘unsafe’ or had nearly crumbled.
The two-day process, which had begun on Thursday, was being monitored by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI).
Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View had developed cracks and were precariously leaning towards each other, posing a threat to the settlements around them, officials said.
The demolition began following an agreement between the administration and the property owners.
The buildings are being razed under the technical supervision of Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute with Hotel Malari Inn, Disaster Secretary Ranjit Sinha told reporters.
The demolition was scheduled to be undertaken on Tuesday. However, it could not be done as their owners staged a dharna demanding compensation along the lines of what was offered to those displaced by the Badrinath renovation masterplan.
Army relocates troops from ‘sinking’ Joshimath as buildings develop minor cracks
On Thursday, the Uttarakhand High Court asked the state government to formulate a robust plan for subsidence-hit Joshimath town.
Hearing a PIL on the crisis, a division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma directed the government to form a committee of independent experts to look into the matter.
The court said the committee must include Disaster Management Authority CEO Piyush Rautela and Executive Director, Space Application Centre, MPS Bisht.
The committee will submit its report to the court in a sealed envelope within two months, the bench said.
The court also directed that an order banning construction activities in the areas surrounding Joshimath be passed immediately.
-The India Today
