- Monday, April 28, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
With the situation in the holy town of Joshimath in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand turning worse after cracks were found developing across it, new findings emerging from a preliminary report released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have issued a deadly caution.
According to them, the entire town may sink as the cracks continue to get wider in more than 700 houses.
In another alarming news, satellite images released by the ISRO and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) have shown that the temple town sank by almost 5.4 centimetres (cm) in only 12 days.
The images were taken from Cartosat-2S satellite.
Based on the satellite images, the entire town of Joshimath, including the Indian Army’s helipad and the town’s famous Narasimha Temple, has been marked as a sensitive zone. A key road between Joshimath and Auli, a Himalayan skiing resort, is also in danger of collapsing and if it happens, the region’s lifeline could be snapped.
According to the ISRO report, the land subsidence was slow between April and November last year, during which the town sank by 8.9 cm.
However, the soil shifting in the town sped up as the year neared the end, and between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023, the town sank by 5.4 cm.
The projections on land subsidence in the city are grim with the entire town expected to sink to the ground in the days to come.
Currently, the government of Uttarakhand is carrying out rescue operations in Joshimath’s danger-prone areas, and the people are being evacuated to safer places.
The situation could turn worse as the threat of deteriorating weather looms large over the region.
Light rainfall was reported over the higher reaches of the Chamoli district, where Joshimath is located, during the last 24 hours.
Inclement weather conditions could affect the ongoing relief work in Joshimath.
(With agency inputs)
