ISRO Images Reveal Joshimath Sank Rapidly Within 12 Days, Check Details

Joshimath town, the gateway to famous pilgrimage centres, such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, which is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence, has reportedly sunk faster between December and January this year, as per the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) images released recently.

As per reports in the Times Of India, the ISRO and NRSC Hyderabad have released satellite images that reveal the severe land subsidence affecting the Joshimath. The images, taken by the Cartosat-2S satellite, show that the entire town, including the Army's helipad and a temple, has been designated as sensitive zones. The preliminary report states that the land subsidence was slow between April and November 2022, where the town sank by 8.9cm. However, between December 27, 2022 and January 8, 2023, the intensity of land subsidence increased causing the town to sink by an additional 5.4 cm in just 12 days. The satellite images also indicate that the Joshimath-Auli road is at risk of collapse due to land subsidence.

ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre, #Hyderabad finds
• Slow subsidence up to ~ -9 cm (April-Nov)
• rapid subsidence event on January 2.
• subsidence zone resembling a generic landslide shape.
• Crown of the subsidence is located near Joshimath-Auli road.#Joshimath pic.twitter.com/FGaEwuVvTo

— Ashish (@KP_Aashish) January 13, 2023

The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday asked the state government to formulate a  plan for subsidence-hit Joshimath town and form a committee of independent experts to look into the matter. The court also directed that an order banning construction activities in the areas surrounding Joshimath be passed immediately. The Uttarakhand government is already conducting rescue operations in danger-prone areas and relocating residents to safer locations.

The process of demolishing two hotels which developed cracks and were on the verge of collapsing, began on Thursday, after an agreement between the administration and the hotel owners was arrived upon and meanwhile, the evacuation of affected people to safer locations continued. A total of 169 families living in the town have so far been shifted to a relief centre. (Inputs from TOI )

Also Read: Joshimath Declared Disaster-affected Area as Cracks Sink Gateway to Badrinath