DEHRADUN: A report by the National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee (NIH) said tampering with drainage routes and lack of drainage system has further aggravated the cause of devastation and damage in Joshimath.
The National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee (NIH) report clearly mentions, "The water source at JP Colony in Joshimath on January 1, 2023, took everyone by surprise. "Initially, this water was coming out at the rate of 17 liters per minute, which reached 540 liters per minute on February 6. After this, the situation returned to normal", the report said.
"Natural drainage is not possible in these areas," the NIH report said, highlighting the geological and geomorphological status of Joshimath's Sunil Ward, Manohar Bagh, JP Colony, and Singhdhar area.
"The possibility of a drain being built in this area is negligible, whatever water came from above, it entered the ground and came in the form of a waterfall around JP Colony. "The old map of the Survey of India shows six natural water springs around JP Colony, while the institute has identified 16 water springs here in the study," the NIH report said.
"Natural water sources and stormwater drains have been blocked due to uncontrolled development in Joshimath", mentioned prominently by several scientific institutions in their reports. Due to the Chardham Yatra route, large constructions were erected in an uncontrolled manner, causing a natural disaster to submerge the land in Joshimath.
The report also seriously advises with the opinion of experts that "the development of this sector needs to be controlled and in line with the standards and monitored through technology available in satellite or remote sensing".
Earlier, The New Indian Express had quoted experts as citing possible reasons for the landslide at Joshimath, which are now coming out in the report. Y P Sundariyal, the then professor of geology at Hemati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, and Delhi-based geologist Naresh Rana had expressed deep concern over this at that time.
"Excessive overloading of new buildings and lack of sewerage, drainage system and thousands of litres of wastewater seeping into the ground daily led to conditions of land submergence in Joshimath", the report said, "Based on satellite imagery, the Indian remote sensing agency had said that Joshimath town shrank 2.5 inches every year between 2020 and March 2022".
