6-Feet Deep Hole in Field During Monsoon Rain Causes Panic in Joshimath

During the monsoon rains, a 6-foot-deep hole emerged in a field in Joshimath, Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, raising new concerns. According to witnesses, monsoon rains seem to be to blame for the crack’s development.

“In a tiny field next to my home, I found a hole that was at least 6 feet deep. According to a resident of Sunil ward who was mentioned by Hindustan Times, “it appears to have developed as a result of monsoon rains.”

Residents are concerned about more rain-related damage to town’s infrastructure, the eyewitness said. He noted that the fissures in already-damaged homes are also gradually becoming larger.

Several homes in the town developed serious fissures earlier this year in January, prompting the relocation of hundreds of residents to safer areas.

A PTI article claims that in February 2023, cracks also started to show on the road that leads to Joshimath’s subsidence-affected Narasingh Temple from Badrinath. During the yatra season, the route is utilized to transport pilgrims from Joshimath to Badrinath.

As Chamoli often faced landslides and floods, Joshimath’s earliest reports of cracks in walls and structures date back to 2021. According to rumors, an assessment in 2022 by the expert panel of the Uttarakhand government revealed that Joshimath is “sinking” in a few places.

In Joshimath, up to 868 buildings have developed fractures, and thus far, 181 have been deemed hazardous.

Himanshu Khurana, the Chamoli district magistrate, and a group of locals headed by Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti recently met at the district office in Gopeshwar to discuss potential dangers to the town during the monsoon.

Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti had earlier ended its 107-day sit-in protest after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami promised them that their 11-point charter of demands will be met in a practical way.

According to a PTI article, Samiti’s requests include making the findings of a collaborative investigation performed by many scientific institutes into the Joshimath land subsidence disaster public and streamlining the procedure for compensating those who have been harmed.