FALSE HOPES AND GREEDY AMBITIONS CRACKED!! - JOSHIMATH CRISIS

A WAKE UP CAL FOR THE HIMALAYAN CITIES The temple town in Uttarakhand state, Joshimath is in the news and once again it has ignited the debate on environment protection Vs development. The town is sinking because of land subsidence which means that there is a progressive lowering of the surface of the region owing to loss of water and unchecked extraction from the earth.

At the time of writing this article, around 850 houses were declared to be unsafe, 2 hotels were to be demolished and thousands of people were evaluated to be sent to safer places. Those who are still there are staying awake whole night outside their houses in the chilling winters of North India. They fear stepping inside as anytime the floor may collapse. The picture of the deep cracks in the houses, the tears of the people and the helplessness of the elderly has shaken everyone particularly those residing in the hilly areas.

Let us have a look at the geographical and geological nature of the town. Joshimath is 300 kilometers from Dehradun and is gateway to the sacred pilgrim sites viz. Badrinath and Kedarnath, adventurous trekking zones, Valley of flowers, Hemkund Sahib and the road to picturesque Auli and other valleys also starts from here. The region is flanked by two rivers viz. Rishiganga and Dhauliganga. Geologically, the town is located in Zone V of the Seismic Zonation Map as per Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority. The region is situated on the debris of the landslides. Over times, the sediments have settled but rampant construction work, use of explosives, drilling, etc. activities have loosened the slope making it prone to frequent landlides and floods.

The early case of subsidence in the region is believed to have reported in 1976. Since then, there has been series of events in the past which have triggered the present situation.

In 1993, 4.5 km long cable car ropeway which is longest in Asia was built to connect Auli and Joshimath. The ropeway comprises of ten towers passing through the cedar forests. Thereafter, with Uttarakhand gaining statehood in 2000, development activities grew enormously in the form of construction, hydro power projects, etc. to boost tourism and for economic growth.