Development projects causing Uttarakhand's Joshimath to sink, says expert
The conversation is imperative as 603 buildings, including houses of locals, have been impacted in Uttarakhand's Joshimath as of January.
Uttarakhand's Joshimath, the gateway to some renowned pilgrimage sites, including Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and the international skiing destination Auli, seems on the brink of a disaster. The authorities have sprung into action, residents have started evacuations since Wednesday as structures and concrete in the town are rapidly reporting incidents of cracks, crevices and subsidence.
With the recent spate of growing cracks and crevices in Joshimath's structures, many anticipate that the "sinking town" may soon be doomed or head for disaster.
While the cause may be concluded as geological, experts have not hesitated in pointing out man-induced causes of the possible disaster. This relates to Joshimath, wherein residents have been evacuating the area in view of increasing landslides, and deep and recurring cracks in the concrete, roads and infrastructure of Joshimath.
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While speaking with India Today, Anjal Prakash, faculty member at ISB Hyderabad and IPCC Author on Joshimath, noted the causes of the disaster.
The conversation is imperative as 603 buildings, including houses of locals, have been impacted as of January.
"The major reason is the Hydro Power Project that has been disturbing," Anjal Prakash underlined. He explained that the process of building a tunnel disturbed the water regimes of the area.
"They have fractured a groundwater regime, which feeds into both surface and groundwater areas. Now that water is gushing out," the expert said.
He mentioned this was not the first time the country has experienced a similar event.
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"We have seen a similar event in 2009," he said.
Anjap Prakash also threw light on the topography of the town in concern. He said that the Joshimath area is where the ground water has nowhere to go and it would sink the area that it has.
"Secondly, it is a very seismic zone," Anjal Prakash said.
A seismic zone is used to describe an area where earthquakes tend to focus. A seismic hazard zone describes an area with a level of danger due to earthquakes.
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Anjal Prakash flagged that 'evacuation was needed' and that hydropower projects must be 'reconsidered and reviewed' to avoid such incidents.
UTTARAKHAND DISASTER MANAGEMENT SAYS...
In a conversation with India Today TV, Disaster Secretary Dr Ranjit Sinha denied that development work was the reason for the prevalent disaster in Joshmath. In fact, he deemed the construction of the NTPC tunnel and Helang Marwari Bypass responsible for rapid cracks that are coming into the land and houses of Joshimath.
He accepted that Joshimath is a city situated on a fragile surface where sorting out the drainage problem was of the utmost importance and, along with that, the main focus was to get residents to a safe place. Dr Sinha also agreed that buildings above 12 meters should not have been built in Joshimath.
Cracks on walls, buildings on edge of collapse in Uttarakhand's 'sinking town' Joshimath | Videos
On the other hand, Professor Yashpal Sundriyal of the Geology Department of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna University has said that the construction of excessive buildings and the problem of drainage brought Joshimath to the brink of destruction.
Meanwhile, former chief minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that there was no need for big projects in the hill state because Uttarakhand is a sensitive zone.
ALSO READ | Evacuation begins in ‘sinking’ Joshimath, Uttarakhand CM to visit as panic grips town
"The mountains here are very sensitive and big projects cause havoc in the mountains," Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said.