Heavy snowfall, rain lashes Uttarakhand's Joshimath, increases trouble for people living in relief camps

File photo

Joshimath: The holy city Joshimath in Uttarakhand has been in news for a while since it developed major cracks on roads, homes, walls, hotels, and temples, creating an atmosphere of panic across Joshimath. However, recent snowfall and rainfall made the situation worse in the hill town as it intensified the cold and added to the woes of people living in temporary relief camps. The massive rainfall in Joshimath during midnight was followed by a spell of snowfall this morning. As a result of snowfall in the mountains, icy winds swept across the plains of Uttarakhand. 

Apart from Joshimath located at around 6,000 feet, many famous locations in the higher altitudes of Chamoli district, including Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Nanda Devi National Park, and the Valley of Flowers, also received snowfall, officials said. The snowfall was continuing when the last reports came in.

Rudraprayag district also received snowfall with the famed Kedarnath temple covered with snow. As a result of snowfall in the mountains, icy winds swept across the plains of Uttarakhand.

The town is sinking and several factors are contributing to Joshimath's subsidence, including its location in an area prone to landslides, extreme weather events, and geological factors. 

As many as 849 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks following land subsidence there and 258 families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, officials said. The dismantling of unsafe hotels and private houses continues amid bad weather, they said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released satellite images of Joshimath and a preliminary report on land subsidence which shows that the entire town may sink. The pictures are taken from the Cartosat-2S satellite.

Hyderabad-based NRSC has released the satellite images of areas that are sinking. In images, the entire town, including the Army`s helipad and the Narasimha temple, has been marked as sensitive zone.