Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 13: The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released satellite images of Joshimath and an introductory report on land subsidence which shows that the entire town may sink.
According to the report, the land subsidence was slow between April and November 2022, during which Joshimath had sunk by 8.9 cm. But between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023, the intensity of land subsidence increased and the town sank by 5.4 cm in these 12 days.
The report, quoting witnesses, said the massive soil sinking led to ‘a rapid subsidence event that was triggered on January 2, 2022.’
The NSRC said a rapid subsidence event was triggered between December last week and January’s first week.
In images, the entire town, including the Army’s helipad and the Narasimha temple, has been marked as a sensitive zone. On the basis of ISRO’s report, the Uttarakhand government is conducting rescue operations in danger-prone areas and the people in these areas are being shifted to safer places.
The images also show that the Joshimath-Auli road at a height of 2,180m is also going to collapse due to land subsidence.
Officials said that the scientists are still studying the cracks that appeared in the houses and roads after the land subsidence in the town, the findings in the primary report of ISRO are frightening.
The ‘sinking’ temple town, known to be the gateway to popular pilgrimage sites like Badrinath, is on the verge of a disaster with massive cracks appearing in buildings and roads. Some 4,000 people have been moved to relief camps after a satellite survey.
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The Uttarakhand government said, Besides hotels and business establishments, 678 homes are in danger,
He further added that “For now, Rs 1.5 lakhs will be given to each affected family. This is only a temporary measure. We are still working on compensation rates.”
