In pics: The cracks, holes and horrors of sinking Joshimath houses
1/11
A crisis announced
Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone, officials said on Sunday, January 8.
2/11
Evacuations start
Over 60 families living in damaged houses in the sinking town of Joshimath have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, officials have said.
3/11
Nature sees no one
In this image, a temple collapses after the gradual 'sinking' of Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, in Joshimath.
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4/11
Days of horror
Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana went from door to door in the affected area to assess the extent of damage and appealed to people living in houses that have developed cracks to move to the relief centres. In this image, a man shows cracks appeared at his house at Joshimath in Chamoli district.
5/11
More evacuations coming
At least 90 more families have to be evacuated. The local administration has set up relief centres at four-five places in the Himalayan town, Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar said, as per a PTI report.
6/11
Cracks in several houses
While the area has recently been declared a landscape-prone zone, families have been living in houses that have developed large and wide cracks. In this image, the corner wall of a house in the area can be seen developing a big crack.
7/11
No relief inside
Not only the outsides, the insides of several houses have been affected too. There are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and 610 of these have developed huge cracks, making them unfit for habitation, an official told PTI.
8/11
Supreme Court steps in
The Supreme Court has asked a petitioner, who has sought the court's intervention to declare the crisis in Uttarakhand's Joshimath as a national disaster, to mention his plea Tuesday for urgent listing. The plea has also sought direction to the National Disaster Management Authority to actively support the residents of Joshimath in this challenging time.
9/11
Joshimath sinking gradually
Joshimath is sinking gradually with huge cracks developing in houses, roads and fields there. Many houses have suffered subsidence, locals said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered immediate evacuation of 600 families living in houses at risk.
10/11
Gateway to important sites
Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.
11/11
Scientist blames constructions
While the cause of the apparent subsidence in the holy town is unclear, an Emeritus scientist at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), DM Banerjee, blamed the construction of roads and tunnels for a nearby hydroelectric project for the prevailing situation.