Amid land subsidence crisis, Joshimath gets fresh snowfall; rain alert issued

Joshimath received fresh and heavy snowfall on Friday morning as per the predictions of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), even as residents of the region in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district struggle with the ongoing land subsidence crisis that has put normal life on hold.

A video shared on Twitter showed heavy snow pouring down on the region as cars and other vehicles parked on streets get covered by it.

The Met department has forecast rainfall and snow in Joshimath and other areas of Chamoli district, and Pithoragarh till January 24. It said that re-activation of Western Disturbance, which has also caused an increase in mercury in Delhi-NCR and its adjoining states and Union territories (UTs), will trigger a change in the weather pattern in Uttarakhand.

Director of Meteorological Center Dehradun told ANI earlier that there is a possibility of rain today, and snowfall along with rain on Monday and Tuesday.

The Uttarakhand government has identified Joshimath’s nearby town of Pipalkoti to rehabilitate more than 120 families of the crisis0jit town. It’s going to be the first phase of the state government’s plan to help the affected residents of Joshimath.

State disaster management secretary Ranjit Sinha said that Pipalkoti is among four sites identified by the Chamoli district administration to rehabilitate the subsidence-hit residents of Joshimath. The other sites are villages Dhak and Gaunk Selang, and a horticulture land in Joshimath away from the affected regions.

Currently, the affected people are residing in hotels, homestays and relief camps.

Meanwhile, the state disaster management authority (SDMA) said on Thursday that no increase in crack widths among buildings in Joshimath has been noticed in the last three days.

The overall number of buildings that have developed cracks in Joshimath currently stands at 849, government data.