Land subsidence threat looms over Uttarakhand; locals panic as water seeps through floors in Rishikesh
Groundwater begun seeping through the floor of some houses in Rishikesh this week amid incessant rainfall. Officials said that immediate steps were being taken to pump water out of the area, while many flagged the lack of an adequate drainage system. Numerous houses have collapsed in recent days amid subsidence and landslides in Uttarakhand.
A portion of the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway-58 was also damaged on Tuesday amid heavy rainfall. “The area is located along the banks of the Ganga and due to the absence of a proper drainage system, it is perpetually waterlogged during the rainy season. The continuing spell of heavy rains this monsoon has worsened the situation with water seeping through the floors of houses," social worker Ekant Goyal told PTI.
Retired government official Anoop Mittal attributed the problem to a sudden rise in the ground water level in the area following heavy rains. He urged the government to ‘conduct a geological study of the groundwater sources for the safety of the houses in Ganganagar’ area. “When Ganganagar was being built, the authorities did not pay as much attention to putting in place a proper drainage system as required.
The six inch sewer line in the area got choked with slush leading to waterlogging which may have led to the situation," said State Urban Development Minister Premchand Aggrawal. Land subsidence concerns have resurfaced in Uttarakhand amid between Purusadi in Chamoli district was damaged on Tuesday. the northern state of Earlier on Wednesday, as many as 15 houses collapsed and seven cowsheds were completely destroyed in subsidence and landslides at Jakhan village, part of Madrasu gram panchayat on Langha Road, near Dehradun.
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