DEHRADUN: Incessant rains in the hilly areas over the past two days have increased the threat to the disaster-hit people and their already damaged houses in Joshimath.
Joshimath, which has been facing a natural calamity since the beginning of this year, is again under threat due to rainwater filling inside the cracks. The gap has also increased in the 'measurement marks' installed to assess the land submergence in the Singhdhar area. Though the administration has evacuated all the affected houses located in the red zone, the recent rains have widened cracks in many houses.
Kamal Raturi, a resident of Manohar Bagh, says that the land in Joshimath continues to sink. Raturi says, "In the Singhdhar area where the administration had put up signs for submergence assessment, there has been a 'gap', which clearly shows that land submergence is still going on".
There have been complaints of widening cracks in buildings at Singhdhar, Manohar Bagh, Cantonment Bazar and other places in Joshimath. Local residents said three 'supports', installed to check the level of submergence, have been loosened by the further sinking of the land.
Disaster-affected Devendra Singh, who lives under Hotel Malari-Inn, says, "His house is completely damaged by the disaster. Both hotels have been dismantled at this place, but still, the land-sinking continues under the Malari Inn and Mount View hotel and the cracks in the buildings have increased further".
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kumkum Joshi told TNIE, "15 pre-fabricated huts built in Dhaka in Joshimath are ready, although they do not have water connection yet. The administration will supply water to these huts through tankers. The water line has not yet been built".
SDM Kumkum Joshi further said, "The administration has also made disaster-affected people inspect it for allotment of these huts. Many disaster-affected people have also come to see these huts. However, these huts have not yet been allotted to disaster-affected people."