The Sinking Town
Joshimath is on its verge to collapse with 600 Families in danger and it was declared as a Landslide and subsidence – hit zone on Sunday , the government focusing on immediate evacuation and the safety of people must be our first priorty and besides that the government is preparing short and long term plans for the rehabilitation of people by keeping in mind our central experts opinions .
PM Narendra Modi with CM Pushkar Singh Dhami analysed the situation, including the safety precautions has done so far . The Administration has shifted 13 more families staying in those large cracked houses to safer locations on Sunday .
WHAT IS LAND SUBSIDENCE?
Subsidence is the sinking of the ground.
It is caused by underground material movement, but it is most commonly caused by pumping, fracking, or mining activities that remove water, oil, natural gas, or mineral resources from the ground.
According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, natural events such as earthquakes, soil compaction, glacial isostatic adjustment, erosion, sinkhole formation, and adding water to fine soils deposited by wind can all cause subsidence (a natural process known as loess deposits) (US).
Subsidence can happen over very large areas, such as entire states or provinces, or it can happen over very small areas, such as a corner of your yard.
The United States Geological Survey shared a photo of what land subsidence can do. Take a look at this:
Dr. Joseph F. Poland’s research efforts in this photo identified the approximate location of maximum subsidence in the United States. In 1925, 1955, and 1977, signs on the pole indicate the approximate altitude of the land surface. The location is in the San Joaquin Valley, southwest of Mendota, California.
WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR REASON FOR LAND SUBSIDENCE?
Compaction of soils in some aquifer systems can occur as a result of excessive groundwater pumping, according to the USGS report, and it is by far the most common cause of subsidence.
Excessive aquifer pumping has resulted in permanent subsidence and ground failures. When a lot of water is pumped into some systems, the subsoil compacts, reducing the size and number of open pore spaces in the soil that used to hold water.
This can permanently reduce the aquifer system’s total storage capacity.
WHAT IS GOING ON IN JOSHIMATH?
In the 1970s, land subsidence was also reported in Joshimath.
In 1978, a panel chaired by Garhwal Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Mishra issued a report stating that major construction work should be avoided in the city and the Niti and Mana valleys because these areas are located on moraines, which are masses of rocks, sediment, and soil transported and deposited by a glacier.
Joshimath, according to Heim, Arnold, and August Gansser’s book ‘Central Himalaya,’ is built on landslide debris.
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In 1971, a few houses reported cracks, prompting a report that recommended measures such as preserving existing trees and planting more trees, as well as preserving the boulders on which the town is built. However, some claim that these measures were never put in place.
“Human activity is primarily to blame for the ongoing crisis in Joshimath. The population and number of visitors have both increased dramatically. Infrastructure development has been unchecked. Blasting is used to construct tunnels for hydropower projects, causing local earthquake tremors and shaking debris above the rocks, which leads to cracks, according to experts.
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