DEHRADUN: The much-awaited report of the expert committee set up to ascertain the causes of the land submergence disaster at Joshimath earlier this year has been made public.
The committee has raised questions about the 'load carrying capacity' but on the other hand, the expert committee has given a clean chit to the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), which has been targeted by various organizations and people of Joshimath for this land submergence.
With the government making public the report of scientific institutions, the reality of the Joshimath land submergence has started coming to the fore. "The rocks have slipped due to water leakage inside the ground of Joshimath located in the Moraine area (soil brought by the glacier), causing the ground to collapse," the report said.
Glacial moraines are formed by the deposition of material from a glacier and are exposed after the glacier has retreated.
The most shocking revelation in the report has been found in a study conducted by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) Hyderabad.
According to this report, "evidence of land submergence has been found in Joshimath up to a depth of 20 to 50 meters".
According to the report, "The surface conditions observed there have been found to be up to a depth of 50 meters in many places. The main reasons for land submergence include the construction of buildings beyond the 'load-bearing capacity' of the city, lack of drainage, deforestation, obstruction of paths of natural water sources, and expansion of buildings."
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) in their report after a study at Joshimath has given a "clean chit" to NTPC's 520 MW Vishnugad hydroelectric project on the Alaknanda River in Chamoli district.
Following protests by local residents, the state government had on January 5 stopped all work at the NTPC project site.
The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology report highlights, "The soil structure of Joshimath is a complex mixture of boulders, gravel, and clay, the boulders here are also made of gravel and clay brought from glaciers, which is a major reason for their slipping".
According to the report, internal erosion in such soils causes instability in the entire structure. This is followed by readjustment, resulting in the boulders collapsing.
"The main reason for the submergence appears to be internal erosion and with the expansion of Joshimath, the flow of the natural drain flowing from above has been disrupted," the report said.
"Drain water is continuously seeping into the ground which has increased the level of damage due to excessive rainfall over the past 10 years", the report highlighted.