Joshimath crisis: Experts blame NTPC's project for land subsidence; power corporation denies link

Land subsidence in Joshimath is primarily due to the NTPC's (National Thermal Power Corporation) Tapovan Vishnugad hydro power project and is a very grave reminder that people are messing up with the environment to an extent that is irreversible, experts said on January 8.

Rampant infrastructure development without a plan is making the fragile Himalayan ecosystem even more vulnerable to the effects of climate change which acts as a force-multiplier, according to experts.

Meabwhile, NTPC issued a letter on January 5 clarifying about the cracks in buildings in Joshimath and said, “NTPC Tapovan Bishnugarh Hydro Electric Project tunnel is not responsible for the landslide in Joshimath town. In this regard, it has been clarified that the tunnel constructed by NTPC is not passing under Joshimath town".

“This tunnel has been constructed with tunnel boring machine. Also currently no blasting work is being done at this time," NTPC further said. The power corporation said the tunnel has nothing to do with the landslide in Joshimath.

"Joshimath is a very grave reminder that we are messing up with our environment to an extent that is irreversible," Anjal Prakash, one of authors of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said attributing the Joshimath caving incident to the hydropower project.

"There have been numerous climate risk events recorded like high rainfall events triggering landslides. We have to first understand that these areas are very fragile and small changes or disturbances in the ecosystem will lead to grave disasters, which is what we are witnessing in Joshimath," Prakash said.

Y P Sundriyal, head of department, geology at HNB Garhwal University, said, "The government has not learnt anything from the 2013 Kedarnath floods and the 2021 Rishi Ganga flash flooding. The Himalayas is a very fragile ecosystem. Most parts of the Uttarakhand are either located in seismic zone V or IV which are prone to earthquakes".

"Climate change is further worsening the matter, with more extreme weather events. We need to have the formation of some strong rules and regulations and moreover forced and timely implementation of these rules. We are not against development but not at the cost of disasters," Sundriyal added.

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Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana said Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone and over 60 families living in uninhabitable houses have been moved to temporary relief centres, according to a PTI report.

Considering the extent of the damage, at least 90 more families will have to be evacuated as soon as possible, said Kumar, who heads a committee tasked with monitoring the situation on the ground level.

There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and 610 of these have developed huge cracks, making them unfit for habitation, he added.

On January 8, the Prime Minister's Office held a high-level review meeting on Joshimath situation. Chief Secretary SS Sandhu and Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar participated in the meeting of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) through video conferencing.

During the meeting, it was known that central government, central agencies, and experts assisting the state government had been asked to prepare short, medium, and long-term plans to tackle to the crisis.

It was also stated that the Secretary of Border Management and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) are to visit the state on January 9 to assess the situation further.

Incidents of land subsidence in Joshimath were reported in the 1970s too. A panel set up under the chairmanship of Garhwal Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Mishra had submitted a report in 1978, saying major construction works should not be carried out in the city and the Niti and Mana valleys as these areas are situated on moraines -- a mass of rocks, sediment, and soil transported and deposited by a glacier.

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With inputs from PTI