Mere weeks after thousands were evacuated from the Himalayan town of Joshimath, a similar situation appears to be unfolding in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district.
Nineteen families were evacuated after their homes developed cracks, with officials also declaring a mosque and a religious school for girls unsafe in Thathri.
Cracks were first reported from a house in Doda district last year in December, and a few structures in the village started developing cracks this week. The situation was exacerbated by a landslide on Thursday. While some were moved to temporary shelters, others have returned to their ancestral homes.
As per the latest updates, the number of damaged buildings has reached 21. Authorities have also declared a mosque and a religious school in Thathri's Nai Basti village unsafe.
The area is located some 35 kilometres from Doda town along the Kishtwar-Batote National Highway.
According to Thathri Sub-Divisional Magistrate Athar Amin Zargar, officials were monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of residents. The deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police as well as a ‘geologist of National Highway’ have visited the area. A preliminary assessment was done on Thursday night.
“Till yesterday, six buildings had cracks…but now these cracks have started to increase. This area is gradually sinking. The government is trying to find a solution as soon as possible," he said.
The official however refuted comparisons with Uttarakhand's Joshimath, noting that this would be ‘an exaggeration’.
“The DM has talked to the Director of Geology Mining and they too are constituting a proper team for the assessment of the situation to find the actual reasons behind it. Attempts are being made to save the area, but it has sunk. It would be difficult to save it. The government is trying to find a solution so that the damage does not reach other nearby areas," he added.
Satellite images have shown how Joshimath is 'sinking'. The images show that the town is gradually crumbling due to land subsidence. National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released images which reveal that a rapid subsidence of 5.4cm had been recorded in 12 days (between December 27, 2022, and January 8th 2023).
To date, 169 families have been relocated from Joshimath and have been shifted to relief centres. Underground development activities, landslides and other related factors have led to significant cracks in the walls of several houses in Joshimath. Some structures have already collapsed, and the authorities are demolishing some.
The biggest reason behind the sinking of Joshimath is the town's geography. The landslide debris on which the city was established has a low bearing capacity, and experts have long warned that it cannot support a high rate of construction. In addition, the increased construction in the area has made the slopes highly unstable over the last couple of decades.