Uttarakhand's Joshimath has been declared a disaster-affected area by the government on Monday. Construction has been banned in Joshimath and surrounding areas. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) held a high-level meeting on Sunday regarding Joshimath. The Center immediately prepared an action plan to shift the people.
There have been cracks in 603 houses here. Most people are staying outside the house due to fear. The tenants have also left the house fearing the landslide. So far 70 families have been evacuated from there. The work of removing the rest is going on. The administration has appealed to the people to go to the relief camp.
Big updates...
The Uttarakhand government has set up health checkup camps for the displaced on Monday.
The Supreme Court asked for a listing of Swami Avimukteshwaranand's petition on Tuesday.
Two expert teams of the Central Government will visit Joshimath today and take stock of the situation. These include the team of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana has declared the Joshimath area a disaster-prone area.
Orders were given to stop the work of NTPC Power Project and Char Dham All Weather Road.
Ration kits are being distributed to the affected families of Joshimath. 5 thousand rupees have been given to the affected families.
Government and experts on the situation in Joshimath... 4 points
1. PM Modi asked the CM - how many people are affected
Prime Minister Modi called Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday and inquired about it. Dhami told that the PM asked many questions like how many people were affected by it, how much damage was done, and what is being done for the displacement of the people. The Prime Minister has assured all possible help to save Joshimath.
2. Experts said – the risk of landslides is big
During the meeting with the PMO, the expert expressed apprehension about a big risk in Joshimath. Experts say that due to blasting and tunneling under the city, the mountains are sinking. If it is not stopped immediately, the city may turn into rubble. Sukhveer Singh Sandhu said that we endeavor to shift people to another place without any loss. He said that scientists are trying to find out how the landslide can be stopped. A solution will be found soon. Necessary steps have been started for this, however, looking at the current situation, it is more important to get people out of the danger zone.
3. The matter reached the Supreme Court, and Shankaracharya filed a PIL
Shankaracharya Jagadguru Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotishpeeth has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court. He said- For the last year there were signs of land subsidence. The government did not pay attention to this. The historical, mythological, and cultural city of Joshimath is in danger.
4. NTPC's statement – Our tunnel does not pass through Joshimath at all
NTPC said in a statement- “The tunnel constructed by NTPC does not pass under Joshimath town. This tunnel has been dug by a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and currently, no blasting is being done."
5. Come when the roof collapses... SDM said - did not say anything like this
The people of Joshimath's Manohar Ward created a ruckus over the old statements of SDM Kumkum Joshi. People got angry with Kumkum. People reminded the SDM of his statement that he had said that when the roof collapses, come and get Rs 5,000. However, the SDM has denied any such statement. She said - I didn't say anything like that.
CM Dhami reached Joshimath, people wept bitterly
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Joshimath on Sunday to share the pain of the people. People started crying in front of him. The women surrounded him. She said- Our world is being ruined in front of our eyes, save it. We are scared to stay in our homes.
The crack started 13 years ago, know why it is so sensitive... 7 points
1. Joshimath settled on the debris of the glacier – report
The cracks in the houses of Joshimath started 13 years back. Located in the eco-sensitive zone of the Himalayas, Joshimath is considered to be the entry point to Badrinath, Hemkund, and the Valley of Flowers. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology had said in its research – Most of the villages falling in the high altitude areas of Uttarakhand are settled on the material of the glacier. Where there are settlements today, there were once glaciers. Millions of tons of rocks and soil get deposited on top of these glaciers. After millions of years, the ice of the glacier melts and the soil becomes a mountain.
2. The MC Mishra committee had said – piles of soil and stone under Joshimath
In 1976, the committee formed under the chairmanship of the then Commissioner of Garhwal MC Mishra had said that the area of Joshimath comes in the ancient landslide area. The city is built on a pile of rock and soil that has come down from the mountain, which is very unstable. The committee had recommended not to remove any big stones by excavation or blasting on the slopes in this area. It was also said that no construction material should be dumped within five kilometers of Joshimath.
3. Settlements on the Winter Snow Line of the Para-glacial Zone in the Himalayas
The height at which Joshimath is situated in the Himalayan region is called the Para Glacial Zone. This means that there were once glaciers in these places, but later the glaciers melted and their debris remained. The mountain made of it is called a moraine. In scientific language, such a place is called disequilibrium. It means - a place where the ground is not stable and whose balance has not been established.
There is also a reason that Joshimath is above the height of the winter snow line. The winter snow line is the extent to which snow remains in winter. Even in such a situation, the moraine is formed there when debris keeps accumulating on top of the snow.
4. Due to the increase in the population of the city, the forest cover decreased by two thousand feet.
The Mishra Committee had said in its report that the development had destroyed the forests that existed in the Joshimath area. The rocky slopes of the mountains are left bare and without trees. Joshimath is situated at an altitude of about 6,000 feet, but due to the increase in settlement, the forest cover has slipped back up to 8,000 feet. Erosion and land sliding have increased due to the lack of trees. During this, there is no forest left to stop the big stones from sliding.
5. Increase in sliding of moraine due to blast and construction
The Wadia Institute found in its report that the sliding of Moraine mountain is fixed after a certain time. However, indiscriminate blasts and haphazard construction have only increased its pace. At the same time, its scientists had said that below the city of Joshimath, there is Dhauli Ganga on one side and Alaknanda river on the other side. The erosion of the mountain by both rivers has also weakened the mountain.
6. Big machines keep digging mountains despite a ban on projects
The 16 km long tunnel of NTPC's hydel project is passing under Joshimath. This tunnel is closed after debris entered. Scientists say that the pressure created by the formation of gas in the tunnel is destabilizing the soil. Because of this, the land is sinking.
When the situation worsened, the government ordered to stop the tunnel work of NTPC's hydel project and Char Dham All-Weather Road (Helang-Marwari Bypass), but where the work is stopped on paper, on the spot, big machines are continuously digging the mountain.
7. If the situation is not resolved immediately, the existence of Joshimath may disappear.
Geologists say that Joshimath is sliding towards the Alaknanda river. It also has an army brigade, Garhwal Scouts, and a battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police under its command. Scientists have warned that if effective steps are not taken immediately, a major natural disaster may occur. In this only the existence of Joshimath can be erased.
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