Hundreds of buildings have developed cracks and families have been evacuated. Can Joshimath be saved?
By Soutik Biswas and Raju GusainEarly in the morning of 2 January, Prakash Bhotiyal woke up to a "loud sound" in his house in Joshimath, a small Himalayan mountain town in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
But things aren't that safe outside either. Officials say the land is slowly sinking in Joshimath, a town of 20,000 people ensconced on a hillside where two valleys meet at an altitude of 6,151ft .Cracks have developed in more than 670 of some 4,500 buildings - including a local temple and a ropeway - in an area which officials say is 350m wide. There are cracks on the pavements and streets. Two hotels are now leaning on each other.
"We are watching our house crumble slowly as the cracks grow wider with every passing day. It is a horrifying sight," says Neha Saklani, a family member.Joshimath itself was born in precarious geological circumstances. The town, located on the middle slope of a hill, was built on the debris of a landslide triggered by an earthquake more than a century ago, and is located in a tremor-prone zone.
Human activity seems to be primarily responsible for Joshinath's woes. Over decades, a lot of water has been pumped out from beneath the ground for farming, making the sand and stone fragile. With the soil dipping, the town has been slowly sinking. "The situation is alarming," says DP Dobhal, a geologist.
A number of hydroelectric power projects are also being built around the town. Roads have been laid and tunnels bored to improve connectivity and build infrastructure.
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