MHA, Disaster Management Officials To Visit U'khand Tomorrow To Assess 'Sinking Joshimath' Situation

The National Disaster Management Authority and the Secretary of Border Management will visit Uttarakhand to inspect the situation in Joshimath on Monday. 

A collapsed part of a house due to landslides at Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand (File Photo)

Source : PTI

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) Secretary of Border Management would visit Uttarakhand to inspect the situation in Joshimath on Monday. These decisions were made during a high-level review meeting on the Joshimath situation conducted today by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra, as reported by news agency ANI. 

Joshimath land subsidence | Secretary of Border Management and members of the National Disaster Management Authority to visit Uttarakhand tomorrow and assess the Joshimath situation.

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

The situation will be investigated and recommendations will be made by the National Institute of Disaster Management, National Disaster Management Authority, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology, and Central Building Research Institute.

Chief Secretary Uttarakhand presented an update from Joshimath to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) during the review meeting presided over by Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra.

During the Joshimath review meeting, PK Mishra was informed that agencies and experts from the Government of India are assisting the State Government in developing short-, medium-, and long-term plans. According to ANI, four SDRF teams and one NDRF team have already arrived in Joshimath.

Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is the winter residence of Lord Badrinath, whose idol is transported from the main Badrinath temple to the Vasudeva temple in Joshimath every winter. Joshimath is regarded by Hindus as an important pilgrimage place in the country.

Meanwhile, the district government has developed plans for the households that have been affected by the subsidence. As of now, 66 households are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as a result of the formation of cracks in the buildings. "The district administration has made arrangements for affected families to stay in safe relief camps," the government stated on Sunday, according to ANI.

Cracks have reportedly emerged in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of the town's ongoing soil subsidence, according to the District Disaster Management Department.

Officials told ANI that the affected people, their families, and children are presently residing in night shelters. A team of experts has been dispatched by the state administration to assess the situation. As a precaution, teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been dispatched to the region, according to Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra on Friday.