Stream burst in Joshimath not linked to construction of NTPC tunnel: Govt
The Uttarakhand government on Thursday said that the underground water stream that burst beneath the Joshimath town, possibly accelerating the subsidence there, was not on account of the construction of a tunnel by NTPCfor a hydroelectric project as claimed by affected residents.
The Uttarakhand government on Thursday said that the underground water stream that burst beneath the Joshimath town, possibly accelerating the subsidence there, was not on account of the construction of a tunnel by NTPCfor a hydroelectric project as claimed by affected residents.
Ranjit Kumar Sinha, secretary, disaster management, Uttarakhand said that a preliminary report of the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, found that water outflow in Joshimath and from the tunnel of the NTPC project are different. “The situation will be clear after the reports of other central agencies and the final report of NIH comes,” he told reporters.
Residents say the government has given clean chit to NTPC without waiting for the final report.
NTPC is building Tapovan hydel project, a tunnel of which is being dug below the Joshimath hills, and residents say that blasting in the tunnel caused an underground aquifer or stream to burst, exacerbating subsidence in the holy town.
Sinha said the discharge of water from the stream in Joshimath, which was 540 LPM (litres per minute) on January 6, has now declined to 150 LPM ,
Responding to his comments, Atul Sati, convenor of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS), said: “It is clear that the government is giving a clean chit to NTPC before the final report of NIH and other institutions is to come. If they have nothing to hide, then they should make NIH’s preliminary report public as this is a matter of life and death for us. If the report is made public, the affected people here can make their own informed decision.”
“We have been saying right from the beginning that the water leaking near Jaypee colony is coming from the tunnel of the Tapovan Hydro Project since February 7, 2021. We have sent the water sample for testing on our own. Its report will come in few days and all things will be clear,” he added.
NTPC has consistently refuted this and said that no blasts were conducted for the underground tunnel and described subsidence as “natural” process in Himalaya. On January 5, in a statement, the company said: “NTPC is being held responsible for the land subsidence problem in Joshi. In this regard, it is clarified that the tunnel built by NTPC doesn’t pass under Joshimath. The tunnel is dug by a tunnel boring machine and no blasting is being carried out presently.”
On Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while reviewing the ongoing relief work in Joshimath, said that once the reports of all the technical institutions and scientists regarding the causes of land subsidence in Joshimath are received, the government will plan its response to dealing with the situation expeditiously.
He also promised better facilities for people being displaced.
He instructed officers to plan sewerage systems in other towns of the state which do not have proper drainage .
Sinha said in a press conference that machines installed by Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to measure the cracks in the buildings have indicated no increase in the width of the cracks in the last three days. “This is a positive sign”, he added.
Sinha said the Chamoli district administration is also holding consultations with the affected people.
“So far 849 buildings have developed cracks. The survey work is in progress. Around 181 buildings have been declared unsafe. 259 families comprising 867 people have been shifted to safer locations.”
