Why is Uttarakhand’s Joshimath sinking? Experts raised warning in 1976, know scientific reason

The Uttarakhand town of Joshimath, which is located at the foothills of the Himalayas, has been making headlines for the last few days because the ground of the small region is reportedly “sinking”, with cracks visible on the walls of the houses and structures.

According to the residents of the town, over 500 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks and are close to collapsing under their own weight since the ground is sinking. Residents have also raised protests for the authorities to take note of the situation.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the situation in Joshimath is being closely monitored, and a team of experts was sent to Joshimath to conduct a survey of the town. It turns out that Joshimath’s sinking is just a disaster, for which warnings have been sounding for decades.

Why is Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town sinking?

Joshimath is a small town in Uttarakhand which is located at the foothills of the Himalayas, and on the site of an ancient landslide. As per experts, Joshimath has been a dangerous place to live since 1976, according to a report released decades ago.

The prime reason Joshimath sank a few inches under the ground is because of the geography of the place. Since the city has been established on landslide debris, the land has a low bearing capacity and it cannot sustain a large amount of construction and population.

The land of Joshimath has been proven to be unstable because of the construction of several heavy projects such as hydroelectric projects, and the widening of the National Highway and excessive population have made the slopes in the town unstable.

Not only the construction and growing population, but the erosion of the rocks in Joshimath due to the running streams from Vishnuprayag has led to the rocks being scattered in the town and loose soil, paired with old landslide debris.

A survey was conducted by researchers from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in 2022, revealing that the soil on which the town of Joshimath has been built has a low holding capacity, especially after excessive construction.

After the government takes stock of the situation, it is expected that CM Dhami will shut down the developmental projects in Joshimath and the residents would be moved to a stable, safer place.

READ | Uttarakhand: Temple collapses in 'sinking' Joshimath, no casualty reported