Joshimath-like cracks develops in seven houses in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda

Seven houses in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district have developed cracks, sources told India Today on Friday. This seems like a similar incident to the buildings developing cracks in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, due to land subsidence.

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.

Experts are suggesting that replantation in the region, especially at the vulnerable sites, to retain soil capacity is the only option.