Over 60 families living in damaged houses in Joshimath have been evacuated to temporary relief centers following the declaration of a landslide-subsidence zone.

According to Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar, at least 90 more families need to be evacuated. Four-five relief centers have been established in the Himalayan town. Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana went door to door in the affected area to assess the extent of damage and appealed to those living in houses with cracks to move to relief centers.

A landslide-subsidence zone has been declared in Joshimath. More than 60 families who live in uninhabitable houses have been evacuated to temporary relief centers, Kumar told PTI. As a result of the damage, at least 90 more families must be evacuated as soon as possible, he said.

Kumar, who has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday, heads a committee monitoring the ground situation. Joshimath has 4,500 buildings, 610 of which have developed huge cracks, rendering them uninhabitable. He said a survey is underway, and the number of affected buildings could increase.

As Mr Kumar explained, the affected area, including houses that developed cracks earlier and those that were damaged recently, forms a 1.5-kilometer-long arch.

Some new buildings, including hotels, a gurdwara, and two inter-colleges, have been acquired to serve as makeshift shelters for around 1,500 people, he said. Over the past week, Joshimath's land subsidence has intensified with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields, and roads, according to the Garhwal commissioner.

Apparently, a water channel beneath the town erupted last week, worsening the situation. At the moment, evacuating affected people to safety is the top priority. A range of long-term measures are being considered to deal with the situation, including reconstruction and retrofitting.

The affected area was surveyed by Chamoli DM Khurana. Arrangements have been made for people to stay in hotels, homestays and other safe places after being told to leave unsafe and uninhabitable houses. State government will pay 4,000 for six months to those who want to move into rented accommodations, he said, urging people not to risk their lives living in damaged homes.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday, met with officials here after returning and asked them to relax rules. According to him, the work related to drainage treatment and sewage systems in Joshimath should not be entangled in long procedural complexities. According to officials in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mr Dhami over the phone to assess the situation in Joshimath.

As part of the PM's request, they provided an update on land subsidence in the town and steps taken to ensure residents' safety and rehabilitation. The PM personally monitors the situation in Joshimath, the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, and Auli, a popular skiing destination.

A study of Joshimath through satellite imagery should be conducted by the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, and the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun. Koti Farm, the Herb Institute, and the Horticulture Department's land in Joshimath and in Pipalkoti's Semaldala area have also been asked to be evaluated for rehabilitation by the Geological Survey of India.

(This news is originally sourced from a News syndicate and is edited to remove plagiarism. Images are also sourced from the internet and are edited. No violation of copyright is intended.)

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