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MHA, NDMA secretaries to visit Joshimath today; will review situation
The NDMA and NIDM will assist the state government in forming a strategy and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) will help design the pre-fabricated houses for the rescued people
The secretaries of border management in the union home affairs ministry and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit ‘sinking zone’ Joshimath, Uttarakhand on Monday.
The decision was taken during a review meeting chaired by principal secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra and cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba on Sunday amid rising concerns of land sinking in the area leading to panic among residents.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also took stock of the situation in Joshimath.
He said that the residents of 68 houses deemed to be in danger of collapse have been shifted.
“An area spreading across 600 houses has been earmarked as a danger zone and efforts are underway to shift the residents inhabiting the area,” Dhami told news agency ANI.
The PMO office further directed the concerned officers from the NDMA, the National Institute of Disaster Management, the Geological Survey of India, the IIT Roorkee, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the National Institute of Hydrology, and the Central Building Research Institute to study the case and give their recommendations on the matter at the earliest.
Also Read:PMO holds high-level meet on Joshimath land subsidence; Experts conduct study
The NDMA and NIDM will assist the state government in forming a strategy and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) will help design the pre-fabricated houses for the rescued people.
According to reports, experts from the National Institute of Hydrology will be Identifying source of the leakage of water in the city, while members from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee will assess the soil strength in Joshimath.
Continuous seismic monitoring will be done by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), and also conduct a geo-physical study with assistance from the Geological Survey of India (GSI)
According to reports, one team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have already arrived at Joshimath on Sunday, and were shifting affected families to safer locations.
This development comes after Joshimath was declared a disaster-prone zone.
While taking stock of the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked experts to prepare a short and long term plan for conservation and rehabilitation, given the region’s fragile ecosystem.
The Uttarakhand government has declared Joshimath’s all nine municipal wards as ‘disaster affected’ and ‘unsafe for living’ under the Disaster Management Act in view of the growing threat from land subsidence that has resulted in cracks in over 600 houses in the city and has started the evacuation of the people from these areas.
The district administration on Sunday distributed necessary assistance funds for essential household items to the affected families.
While the cause of the apparent subsidence in the holy town is unclear, an Emeritus scientist at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), DM Banerjee, blamed the prevailing situation on the construction of roads and tunnels for a nearby hydroelectric project.
Uttarakhand District administration informed on Monday that they were overseeing the inspection of relief camps and ensuring basic facilities be given to the affected families.
The Chamoli DM further informed today that construction activities had been banned in Joshimath & nearby areas and dry ration kits were being distributed to affected people.
