Joshimath in India is sinking due to constant negligence

Uttrakhand’s Joshimath region located in Northern India is on the risk of sinking. People are complaining of cracks developing and getting wider in their houses since the year started. The matter has been sent to the Supreme Court for hearing, which is expected later this month. Data provided by the administration disclosed more than 678 houses witnessed cracks and about 81 families have been relocated to safer places, so far. Administration recommended fastening up door to door survey and evacuating people from danger zones. According to the information, beside houses, two hotels have been majorly affected, named Malari Inn and Mount View and are ordered to be demolished with minimum damage to surroundings, by administration.

People of Joshimath are warned and suggested to move to safe places that include leaving their houses. Groups are protesting to not leave their house behind and are criticizing administration for the negligence into the matter. According to the information, year by year, administration received multiple warnings for the particular region being geologically unstable and was suggested restrictions and remedial measures by a committee which were overlooked. The committee chaired by then Commissioner, Garhwal Mandal Mahesh Chandra Mishra disclosed the cause behind landslides and sinking of Joshimath.

Sanjeev Rawat is a resident of Joshimath and has never imagined a day like this would come. He told EAT news, ‘This whole situation infuriates me because administration is a responsible one here. We are paying for their mistakes. Our area was on risk from a very long time and administration was informed briefly about this, but they neglected it. We built our houses with so much hard work and emotions. Now we are not going to give it easily. We were told, they’ll give us compensation but we don’t want it. We’ll be homeless after leaving our houses.’ Sanjeev works in a local restaurant and earns little for his family. But why suddenly, the beautiful holy city Joshimath in Uttrakhand state is sinking? Information says, nothing is happening suddenly in fact a report released in 1976 by the committee mentioned above, clearly indicated restrictions on heavy construction work, agriculture on slopes, felling of trees, proper sewage system, cement blocks on river banks to stop erosion and construction of drainage to stop seepage of rainwater.

Increased construction activities caused heavy geological disturbance that is affecting the lives of human beings. Road and dam projects are to be significantly blamed as the process includes drilling, explosives and extensive digging that have destroyed the slopes. According to Sanjeev, he noticed a crack during December and inquired others. ‘My wife noticed it in the kitchen, a small crack that just went bigger and it widened within days. I asked people around that are they noticing the same things and some said yes. My wife and mother are scared that what if our house also gets demolished like those hotels’, he said. Hotels that have been ordered to bulldoze were on the higher risk. Sanjeev’s friend worked there as a staff member and is now left with no source of earnings.

Available information about the report says, ‘Trees are important as they act as mechanical barriers to rain, increase the water conservation capacity and hold the loose debris mass. An increase in grazing and browsing incidents is akin to felling. Natural forest cover in the Joshimath area has been mercilessly destroyed by a number of agencies. The rocky slope is bare and treeless. The absence of trees results in soil erosion and landslides. There is nothing to hold the detaching boulders. Landslides and slips are the natural outcomes’. Cutting of trees on the name of development has always been a painful process for nature lovers and activists. The famous chipko movement in India transformed the whole picture of protest in ancient times. It was a non-violent, ecological movement by rural villagers specifically women to protect tress and forest from cutting on administration’s order. No doubt we are still fighting for it.

Sanjeev blamed administration for increasing construction for tourism but avoided problems of local residents. He said, ‘We all are facing heavy construction from a while now. Sometimes it’s the roads getting wider or the blocks around the roads. There is always noise, debris, pollution that irritates locals. And it is all happening for the tourists to arrive easily, but shouldn’t they be considering problems of local residents? They should have planned development keeping in mind locals conditions and surroundings.’ Weather forecast has issued warning of heavy rainfall and snowfall nearby that could affect the cracks and instability in the region. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami was seen distributing blankets to the people on camera, however people are criticizing his actions calling it ‘fake concern’.

Sustainable development is the other way that could have been considered by Indian administration during introducing development in such risky areas.