Land Subsidence Phenomena in Joshimath Town, Garhwal Himalaya, India: Field Observations and Possible Causes

Authors

  • Shantanu Sarkar
     Uttrakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre, Dehradun - 248 001
  • Suvam Das
     Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad - 201 002
  • Swapnamita Choudhury
     Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun - 248 001
  • Ranjit Kumar Sinha
     Department of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Dehradun - 248 001

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17491/jgsi/2024/173863

Keywords:

Land subsidence; Joshimath; Garhwal Himalaya; Vulnerability

Abstract

The town of Joshimath, in the state of Uttarakhand, India, has been witnessing severe ground subsidence problems. Though the land subsidence has been documented since a long time, there were sudden enhanced appearance of cracks on the ground and in houses overnight on 2nd and 3rd of January 2023, in the western segment of the Joshimath town. At the same time, there was high-volume of sediment-laden water discharge inside the Jaypee Colony beginning from 3rd of January 2023. More than 1000 houses and infrastructure were severely damaged during this event. Therefore, it is being of high importance to study the present situation and highlight the possible reasons that make this area vulnerable to land subsidence. With this aim, the present study incorporates different data sources and field observations to provide an overview of the present situation of the Joshimath town.

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Issue

Volume 100, Issue 4, April 2024 Pages (463-616)

Section

Research Articles

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Published

2024-04-01

How to Cite

Sarkar, S., Das, S., Choudhury, S., & Sinha, R. K. (2024). Land Subsidence Phenomena in Joshimath Town, Garhwal Himalaya, India: Field Observations and Possible Causes. Journal of Geological Society of India, 100(4), 467–472. https://doi.org/10.17491/jgsi/2024/173863
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