900 members of 29 families displaced in Joshimath land subsidence, says State Disaster Management Secretary

“Around 30 families (out of 269 displaced families) are either living on rent or with their relatives,” Ranjit Sinha said

900 members of 29 families have been displaced in Joshimath land subsidence in Uttarakhand, State Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha said on Friday.

“The number of displaced families stands at 269. Of them, around 30 families are either living on rent or with their relatives. The total number of members of these displaced families stands at 900,” Mr. Sinha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Also Read | Fear and foreboding in Joshimath

In Joshimath, home to the monastery of Adi Sankaracharya and gateway to the Badrinath temple, the signs of subsidence had first appeared in October 2021 but the situation became particularly alarming towards the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, when large parts of the town experienced sudden land-sinking and several houses developed major cracks as well. By January 11, 2023, 723 houses in all of the nine wards in the town had developed major or minor cracks on the floors, ceilings and walls. Beams had been dislodged in many houses. 

Earlier this month, numerous families living in Joshimath had to be shifted to community halls and a primary schools after their homes developed deep cracks, leaving them in a panicked state.

At a height of 6,107 feet, Joshimath is a busy town in Chamoli district. Despite a population of only about 23,000, it has been heavily built-on, with hotels, resorts, and a bustling market that caters mainly to tourists, pilgrims, trekkers and personnel of the army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

(With inputs from ANI)