Joshimath land sinking fear: Centre forms panel to study cause and impact

The central government on Friday set up a panel to conduct "rapid study" of the occurrence of land subsidence and its impact in Joshimath in Uttrakhand.

An office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti said the panel comprising representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Central Water Commission, Geological Survey of India and National Mission for Clean Ganga among others will conduct "rapid study and examine the cause of the occurrence and its impact or key impact" and submit a report to the NMCG within three days.

It said the committee, among other things, will cover the effects of the sinking of land on human settlements, buildings, highways, infrastructure and riverine system.

A variety of factors both anthropogenic and natural have led to the subsidence of Joshimath, director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology Kalachand Sain said on Friday.

The factors are not recent, they have built up over a long period of time, he said.

Joshimath is the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and skiing destination of Auli. 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 said, adding this may also have led to cracks appearing in the houses there.

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