India begins dismantling 'unsafe' buildings in sinking Himalayan town

NEW DELHI

The authorities in the northern Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have begun dismantling some of the unsafe buildings in Joshimath town after hundreds of houses developed cracks in recent weeks, triggering panic among residents.

Nestled in the Himalayas and located at an altitude of 6,150 feet (1,875 meters), the town in the district Chamoli is popular with pilgrims and tourists.

During the last many days, the authorities in the town shifted a number of families to other places. Officials in the area said they found cracks in at least 700 houses in the town.

Nand Kishore Joshi, a senior disaster management official in the district, told Anadolu that the process of demolition of two buildings that have been declared "unsafe" began on Thursday.

“The dismantling process has started, but due to bad weather in the evening, it had to be stopped. It will resume tomorrow,” he said.

Himanshu Khurana, a top official in the Chamoli district, told Anadolu the two buildings being dismantled are hotels.

The disaster management officials on Thursday evening said 169 families have been relocated so far in town.

Earlier in the day, Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande during a press conference said that they have temporarily relocated some troops in Joshimath, as some of the buildings developed minor cracks.

Experts, over the years, have been saying that large-scale construction work would not go well here because the region is geologically not stable.

Local media reported as per the Chamoli district administration, cracks have been reported in 723 houses, while 86 houses have been identified as unsafe so far.

Mohammad Farooq Azam, who studies glaciers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Indore in Central India, told Anadolu that this is a "large-scale phenomenon where the whole town is sinking."

Stating that the most important short-term action is to relocate the people as soon as possible, especially from the houses which are already damaged, he said: “In the long run, the infrastructure development should be stopped to save the temple town of Joshimath.”

Noted Indian geologist Kalachand Sain, who is also Director of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Uttarakhand, told Anadolu last week that subsidence — the sinking of the land — began a long time back and it is still happening. He cited multiple reasons for the present situation.

Uttarakhand in the western Himalayas is prone to flash floods and landslides. Floods in June 2013 triggered by heavy monsoon rains killed nearly 6,000 people.

In 2021, a flash flood rushed through a valley in Uttarakhand state, damaging dam project sites and killing over 200 people.