Karnaprayag, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Pauri and Gopeshwar can suffer a fate similar to Joshimath, scientists have warned
After Joshimath, fresh cracks have appeared in more than 50 houses in the Karnaprayag Municipality in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. On January 8, 2023, all nine municipal wards in Joshimath were declared as ‘landslide-subsidence zones’ under the Disaster Management Act.
When a district-level committee examined the cracks, they concluded that consistently widening roads and destroying hills had contributed to cracks in the houses because of which some residents had to abandon their homes. Since Karnaprayag has no natural outlets for discharge, some houses sink every monsoon.
Nainital, which has experienced several incidents of land subsidence since 1867, when it was an important retreat for officials of the colonial British Raj could soon follow suit. In a study examining the Balia Nala landslide of 2009, it was found that the rope pattern and rock types are responsible for weakening some zones naturally.
The only way to overcome this is by choosing the right zones for construction projects. Another study confirmed that the area dominantly comprises limestone with shale and slate which are highly crushed and weathered due to the presence of the Nainital Lake Fault, which lies in seismic zone 4.
Half of the area of Nainital township is also covered with debris generated by landslides which is blocking the natural discharge of water.
Similarly, Uttarkashi is also prone to seismic activity. Sukki Top, a village in Uttarkashi that is famous for its apple orchards, is also situated on an unstable slope and is located in the seismically active Zone 5.
The residents of the village, located along the Gangotri Highway in the Harshil Valley, have been fearful about a proposed bypass that they say will destroy their village.
According to Piyoosh Rautela, a geologist with the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, Munsiyari and Dharchula in Pithoragarh district lie in Zone 5 where hills have been destroyed on the Tanakpur-Dharchula Highway.
Rajendra Singh Bisht of the district’s Himalayan Gram Vikas Committee expressed concern over projects like the Pancheshwar Dam whose ecological damage is still unforeseen.
Other towns that could follow the same fate as Joshimath include Gopeshwar in Chamoli district, Ghansali in Tehri district; Bhatwari in Uttarkashi district and Pauri in Pauri Garhwal district.
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