Entire Joshimath may sink, shows ISRO report

According to the report, the town sank by 5.4 cm in these 12 days between December 27, 2022 and January 8

A general view of the Joshimath town is pictured in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state on January 12, 2023, after authorities in one of the holiest towns in the Indian Himalayas were evacuating panicked residents on January 8 after hundreds of houses began developing yawning cracks and sinking, officials said. Credit: AFP Photo

The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has released satellite images of Joshimath and a preliminary report on land subsidence which shows that the entire town may sink.

The pictures are taken from the Cartosat-2S satellite.

Hyderabad-based NRSC has released the satellite images of areas that are sinking.

Also Read — 25-28 Indian Army buildings at Joshimath develop cracks, troops have been relocated, says Army Chief

In images, the entire town, including the Army's helipad and the Narasimha temple, has been marked as sensitive zone.

On the basis of ISRO's preliminary report, Uttarakhand government is conducting rescue operation in danger-prone areas and the people in these areas are being shifted to safer places on priority.

According to the report, the land subsidence was slow between April and November 2022, during which Joshimath had sunk by 8.9 cm. But between December 27, 2022 and January 8, 2023, the intensity of land subsidence increased and the town sank by 5.4 cm in these 12 days.

Also Read — Demolition of Joshimath's two 'unsafe' hotels under way, evacuation continues

The satellite images show that the Joshimath-Auli road is also going to collapse due to the land subsidence.

Although scientists are still studying the cracks that appeared in the houses and roads after the land subsidence in the town, the findings in the primary report of ISRO are frightening.