Joshimath sinking Update: Eleven more families in Joshimath were moved to safe locations on Saturday as the number of houses developing cracks in the sinking town rose to 603, officials said. The number of families who have so far been evacuated stands at 65 with another 11 moving to temporary relief camps on Saturday from houses that had developed cracks, Chamoli district disaster management officer N K Joshi said.
Speaking about the crisis in Joshimath, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami had said, "Saving lives is our first priority. Officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations," Dhami had said on Friday after reviewing the situation in the sinking town.
"We are also working on short and long-term plans to address the situation in Joshimath," he added. Dhami also visited Joshimath on Saturday to assess the situation on the ground, a day after he directed the immediate evacuation of around 600 affected families.
Why is Joshimath sinking?
Both anthropogenic and natural factors have led to the subsidence of Joshimath, Kalachand Sain, director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said on Friday. "The three principal factors are Joshimath's vulnerable foundations as it was developed on the debris of a landslide triggered by an earthquake more than a century ago, its location in seismic zone V which is more prone to earthquakes besides gradual weathering and water percolation which reduce the cohesive strength of the rocks over time," Mr Sain told PTI.
Sain also noted that haphazard construction activities have been going on in the area for a long time without thinking about the pressure the town is capable of coping with. He further said that this may also have led to cracks appearing in the houses there.
(With inputs from PTI)
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