Uttarakhand: Impending monsoon rains renew fears in landslide-prone Joshimath

The Meteorological department has predicted that monsoon will enter Uttarakhand by Jun. 25 renewing the fears among the residents in Joshimath over more possible landslides.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand): With monsoon likely to enter Uttarakhand in the next couple of days, the local administration in Joshimath where over 800 houses were damaged due to the landslides earlier this year, is bracing for more possible landslides, officials said. Officials said that the monsoon is expected to enter Uttarakhand by June 25.

Besides, the Meteorological department has issued an orange alert in the Himalayan state from June 22 to 26 for pre-monsoon rains. The bad weather prediction has kept the local administration in Joshimath on the toes even as the residents are also in panic about more possible landslides. It can be recalled that about 860 houses had developed cracks in Joshimath in Jan.

Over 500 families were affected by the landslides in Joshimath. The fresh monsoon rain prediction has renewed the fears of both the administration as well as the residents regarding more damage to houses and other property. It can be recalled that after the Jan. landslides, the local administration had camped in the area.

Officials said that compensation has been provided to nearly 90 percent of the affected families in the disaster. Landslides have been a major challenge in the Himalayan state with experts partly blaming the excavation work for development projects for the slides. In Garhwal region, maximum rainfall occurs in Joshimath making it more prone to landslides.

Along with the team of National Disaster Management and the team of Union Home Ministry, the district administration is keeping a close watch on the monsoon rainfall in the area. Officials said that teams of NDRF, SDRF, Disaster Management Department, Telecom Department as well as PWD Department are working in coordination to deal with any eventuality.

In view of the huge rush of devotees at Badrinath Dham, the government has identified 20 landslide prone spots aong the Badrinath Highway which are being continuously monitored.