How the Indian city of Joshimath is SINKING

A quaint Indian town has become a ‘nuclear bomb’ as it begins to sink, opening huge cracks in collapsing houses.

Residents of Joshimath in the Chamoli district of India had to evacuate their homes Result of subsidence in the area.

In the city of around 25,000, over 500 houses have suffered huge cracks in the past ten days, while others have begun to sink.

Prime Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has requested a detailed report from Chamoli District Judge Himanshu Khurana, who will decide whether the 50 affected families will be “relocated” or rehabilitated.

Joshimath, in India’s Chamoli district, has seen more than 500 houses suffer huge cracks over the past 10 days while others began to sink.

Due to land subsidence in the area, local residents had to evacuate their homes

Given the extreme nature of the matter, officials have also been directed to seek help from local residents and traders who “have faced financial losses,” according to The Times of India.

In addition, the prime minister said he would hold a high-level meeting on Friday night to take stock of the situation.

Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Convener of Joshimath said: “We all live on a ticking ‘nuclear bomb’ ready to explode at any moment.

Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Convener of Joshimath said: “We all live on a ticking ‘nuclear bomb’ ready to explode at any moment

Officials have been called to assist residents and traders who are struggling financially as a result of the damage

“Cracks can also be seen on the national highway and state schools. as well as hospital’

Despite objections from local experts who warned that the country cannot support a high rate of construction, the continuous projects and widening of the National Highway over the past few decades have contributed to the instability of the ground.

The main cause of the cracks is believed to have been a 12km tunnel of the National Thermal Power Corporation, a 520MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric power project.

The main cause of the cracks is believed to have been a 12km tunnel of the National Thermal Power Corporation, a 520MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric power project

The Power Corporation admitted in 2010 that water from a punctured aquifer seeped into the tunnel, which in turn caused water sources in Joshimath to dry up.

To repair the damage they provided the city with the Rs 16 core for water supply and agreed to insure the houses but this has not been done until now.

The Prime Minister requested a detailed report from Chamoli District Judge Himanshu Khurana, who will decide whether the 50 affected families will be “relocated” or rehabilitated

Despite objections from local experts who warned that the country could not stand a high rate of construction, the ongoing projects contributed to the instability of the ground

Shailendra Panwar, Chair of the Joshimath Municipal Board, said: “Work on the tunnel began in 2006 and in 2009 a tunnel boring machine was pinched, causing an aquifer to rupture, releasing water at a rate of 600 liters per second.

“The tunnel is still under construction. After the 2010 Raini flash floods, the entire project was put on hold.’

The Power Corporation previously said water from a punctured aquifer seeped into the tunnel, which in turn caused water sources in Joshimath to dry up in 2010

Environmentalist Ravi Chopra claimed that piercing the aquafer inside the mountain made it impossible to carry the overlying land, causing the area to subside

NTPC officials have claimed that the sinking was not due to their project as the tunnels are now completely dry.

However, environmentalist Ravi Chopra said piercing the aquafer inside the mountain, which is now waterless, failed to support the land above, subsequently causing the area to subside.