Joshimath: 'Flow from aquifer ebbed but rain spell a concern'

DEHRADUN: The Chamoli district administration on Sunday claimed that water flow from the broken aquifer of the NTPC hydel project in Marwari, alleged to be behind the widening of cracks, has decreased from 540 litres per minute (LPM) to 132 LPM.

For the past couple of days, officials from Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) have been claiming that crack meters installed on buildings have shown "no drastic rise in cracks in the structures".

"It is a positive sign that there has been no increase in the width of the cracks in the last three days," Ranjit Sinha, secretary, disaster management department, had said on Thursday. However, the district administration and the experts monitoring the situation are now worried as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted an extended spell of rain and snow in Joshimath and Auli between January 24 and 28.

"The rains in the coming week will determine whether the land subsidence in Joshimath and the cracks in the houses will increase. It has to be seen if the increased flow of water in the ground will trigger an increase in the rate of land subsidence," said a senior expert from the team assessing damage in Joshimath.

As of date, 863 houses have reported cracks in Joshimath, while 181 houses have been declared 'unsafe' for living by the district administration. Currently, 925 persons of 275 affected families have been shifted to temporary shelter camps in and around Joshimath town as per officials.