Joshimath sinking: Demolition of buildings to begin today, 82 families shifted to safe locations | 10 points

Joshimath sinking: Every minute is important, said the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary as cracks continue to come up in more houses, buildings and roads in the sinking town of Joshimath.

Joshimath Sinking: Authorities in the holy town of Joshimath have said that the demolition of hotels, and houses which developed cracks in the wake of the landslide and subsidence will begin today. Authorities said that Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View which have developed big cracks will be demolished first adding all the residents in the affected zones have been evacuated. A bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority Chamoli said that cracks have appeared in 678 houses so far while 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town.

• Reports said that the demolition of the buildings will take place under the supervision of a team of experts from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee.
• Meanwhile, other disaster management teams including NDMC have been put on standby to assist the district administration.
• Every minute is important, the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary said on Monday as more houses, buildings and roads developed cracks in the sinking town of Joshimath.
• Red crosses have come upon hundreds of unsafe structures and many residents stayed on despite the imminent danger.
• The number of subsidence-affected homes rose to 678 while 27 more families were evacuated to safety, a bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority in Chamoli said, adding so far 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town.
• Under the Joshimath city area, 213 rooms have been temporarily identified as habitable, with their capacities estimated at 1191. In addition to this, 491 rooms/halls have been identified in Pipalkoti outside the Joshimath area, with a combined capacity of 2205.
• Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the situation in Joshimath and underlined the need for ascertaining the location of underground water accumulation in the subsidence zone.
• Water accumulation under the ground in the affected area is considered to be in Joshimath but the source of the water is yet to be ascertained.
• The central team of officials also said a geological survey of the areas identified for the rehabilitation of the affected people should be carried out.
• Meanwhile, the state government is also working on designing a relief package for the people of the disaster-hit town, which will soon be sent to the Centre.

(With inputs from agencies)

News Sources – India Tv News