Relevance:
Due to land subsidence, Joshimath – a key transit point for tourists travelling to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib – developed cracks, causing panic and protests among the local population.
About Joshimath:
- Location – Rishikesh–Badrinath NH-7 (Uttarakhand)
- It is traversed by running streams with a high gradient from Vishnuprayag.
- Bordering Rivers –
- Dhaknala (East)Karmanasa (West)Alaknanda (Noth)
- Dhauliganga (South)
- 1976 Mishra Commission – Reported 1st instance of subsidence
- Importance –
- Nearest Tourist centres: Badrinath, Auli, Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib
- Indian armed forces cantonment
- One of the four cardinal monasteries established by Adi Shankara (Others: Sringeri in Karnataka, Dwarka in Gujarat, Puri in Odisha)
- Natural factors for subsidence –
- Located on the Vaikrita Thurst (VT), a tectonic fault line and is also very close to main geological fault lines, Main Central Thrust (MCT) and Pandukeshwar Thrust (PT).
- It falls in Zone V of the Seismic Zonation Map.
- The area around it is covered with a thick layer of overburden material making it vulnerable to sinking.
- High snowfall and highly weathered gneissic rocks.
- Extreme rainfall events impacting the stability of the slope.
- Anthropogenic factors –
- Unplanned construction and Improper water drainage
- Hydroelectric schemes around Joshimath and Tapovan (E.g. Vishnugad HE Project).
- Increase in ground seepage of water from surface, a probable cause for subsidence.
Reference: The Hindu
