Recently separate studies were conducted by eight premier institutions of India to know the cause of land subsidence in Joshimath town of Uttarakhand.
News Jungal News: Joshimath is a hilly town located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway(NH7) in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand.
It is home to one of the four cardinal Maths or Monasteries established by Adi Shankara Sringeri in Karnataka, Dwarka in Gujrat, Puri in Odisha and Joshimath near Badrinath in Uttarakhand.
Central Building Research Institute(CBRI):
According to this report Joshimath town has 44%, 42%, 14% of masonry, RCC and other (traditional , hybrid) construction typologies, respectively, among which 99% are non-engineered.
These structures are not in compliance with the National Building Code of India, 2016.
Joshimath town is situated on Vaikrita groups of rocks overlain by morainic deposits which are composed of irregular boulders and clay of varying thicknesses.
Such deposits are less cohesive and susceptible to landslide subsidence.
National Institute of Hydrology (NIH):
It mapped various springs, drainage networks and areas of subsidence concluding that land subsidence and sub surface water in Joshimath might have some connections.
Wadia Institute of Himalaya Geology(WIHG):
It mentioned earthquakes as a reason for slow land subsidence.
It could be internal erosion caused by subsurface drainage, due to infiltration of rainwater/ice melting/waste water discharge from households and hotels.
Indian Space Reasearch Organization(ISRO):
Land subsidence in Joshimath may be because of toe-cutting phenomenon and also due to slope instability asa aresult of seepage of local drainage water in the soil.
Loose and unconsolidated moraine material of the slope due to old landslides and flash flood events in and around the area in the recent past, also contributing land sinking.
Way Forward:
Complete shutdown of development and hydroelectric projects in the region and relocate the residents to a safer place and then reimagine the town’s planning and accommodate the changing geographical factors.
Replantation in the region , especially at the vulnerable sites to retain soil capacity.
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