Danger of drowning at Joshimath in Uttarakhand

The town of Joshi Math in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, known as the gateway to Badrinath, the main shrine of Char Dham, is in danger of submerging. There have been cracks in about 500 houses, shops and holts here in a year. Because of this, it is not even habitable. On Tuesday, a 5-member team of geologists, engineers and officers from the administration investigated the cracks after warning of agitation by the people of the city.
The five-member team included Joshi Math Municipality President Shailendra Panwar, SDM Kumkum Joshi, Geologist Deepak Hatwal, Executive Engineer (Irrigation) Anoop Kumar Dimri and District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi. In fact, on December 24, the people of Joshimath took out a protest march accusing the administration of not taking any steps to save the city. After this, the administration prepared the team.
If sources are to be believed, this panel found that many parts of Joshimath are submerging due to man-made and natural reasons. The reason for landslides is also the cutting of trees and mountains. Excavation is also being done without planning in almost all the wards of Joshimath, due to which cracks are coming into the houses and shops.
Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana sent the team to Joshimath. He said he has directed the authorities to take immediate safety measures after consulting a structural engineer. District Information Officer Ravindra Negi said that the District Magistrate has also asked the team to make a drainage system scheme for Joshimath. Apart from this, a proposal has also been asked to prepare a proposal to build a security wall between the Marwari bridge and Vishnuprayag at the foothills of Joshimath to prevent erosion from the Alaknanda river.
Dr. Ranjit Sinha, Secretary, of the Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Department of Uttarakhand said that after completing the works related to the sewer system in the city, every house in the area will be connected to the sewer line. The tender will be floated on January 20 for its detailed project report. A geotechnical study will also be done while making this report.