Six months on, fresh sinkhole revives fears of subsidence in Joshimath

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Joshimath last week. And the crippling anxiety of 'what next' gripped the residents of the ecologically fragile Himalayan town once again. It was almost six months to the day land subsidence around Joshimath on January 2-3 led to hundreds of residents fleeing their homes, which had developed cracks, and taking refuge in hotels, rest houses and at houses of relatives and friends.

That was the dead of winter, this is the monsoon, and nothing seems to have changed, said Anju Saklani. As the rain fell steadily, land near their home caved in with water seeping into their home. «We have since filled the sinkhole with debris and stones,» Anju told PTI over the phone.

But that is a band-aid solution at best, added Atul Sati, environmental activist and coordinator of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS). The Saklanis were the first to reports cracks in their home, as early as September 2021. That they are also the first to report a sinkhole has led to trepidation on what lies ahead for their town, a gateway to the ski resort of Auli, several mountain climbing expeditions as well as the pilgrim centres of Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, and the Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO world heritage site.

«The condition of the affected people has not changed much over the past six months with cracks in their houses only widening further,» Sati told PTI. The sinkhole near the Saklani's house in Sunil ward is not the only one, he said, expressing his grave concern over the situation. Several sinkholes have been reported in Joshimath in the past and, with the onset of the monsoon season, there is fear of more such incidents occurring in the future.