Cracks found on houses in Karnaprayag: ‘Affected’ families asked to vacate houses

 

Chamoli: Chamoli district administration on Thursday issued notices to some residents of Bahuguna Nagar of Karnaprayag municipality in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district with instructions to immediately vacate their houses after fresh cracks appeared on them amid panic due to land subsidence incidents in Joshimath.

The administration has also directed the affected families to shift to Nagar Parishad night shelter house as a temporary arrangement. Fresh cracks appeared on more than 50 houses in Bahuguna Nagar of Karnaprayag town of Chamoli district triggering panic among the locals. Many of the residents have already vacated their houses and taken shelter at their relatives’ places staying outside the town.

Following information, a team of district administration and PWD officials reached Bahuguna Nagar on Wednesday, to identify buildings with cracks that cannot be repaired. Speaking to ANI, Surendra Dev, Tehsildar of the area, said that they are trying to identify the affected buildings which have no scope for repair. ‘Our primary aim is to identify the buildings and evacuate the people to safe zones and rehabilitation centres. After proper inspection of the buildings, we will plan to remove or demolish affected portions of the building, Yadav said.

Highlighting the issue of water logging in the area, Yadav said, ‘Such things are common in the area during monsoons when water enters the buildings and eventually weakens the base of the structures, and causes cracks to appear’. Yadav added that the authorities had earlier carried out an inspection last year as well where 27 damaged buildings were identified and recommended for a geological survey and major treatment plan. Speaking on the solution to the issue, Yadav said, ‘This area needs a proper geological survey and treatment plan. Extensive studies are being conducted by scientists and researchers of IIT Roorkee twice and their report is awaited’.

PWD, Municipal Corporation, Irrigation department, Tehsil administration and NHIDCL jointly conducted the inspection of the area. A joint report will be submitted to the district collector and further action will be taken accordingly, the Tehsildar said. Meanwhile, after conducting an inspection survey of the upstream and downstream regions near the Joshimath area, which is affected by landslide and land subsidence, Prof Rajeev Sinha, team head of Kanpur IIT Geological Research, said the situation in Joshimath could worsen if there is a spell of rain or an earthquake. Taking note of the situation, the Centre constituted a team of experts from seven different organisations to study and submit its recommendations after a high-level meeting on Joshimath.

The experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute have been tasked with assessing the situation and giving recommendations on preserving the holy town. The state government has also announced various interim relief measures for the affected families in Joshimath.