No scope of repair in Joshimath NTPC engineers punctured aquifer

An environmental expert claims that Joshimath's NTPC engineers' aquifer rupture requires no repairs.

Joshimath Land Sinking: While the two unstable hotels are yet to be demolished, the government has promised assistance and compensation to the citizens of Joshimath. The town in Uttarakhand's ground sinking problem will be investigated by a team of specialists.

Environment expert Vimlendu Jha claimed that although the Uttarakhand government is putting up a rehabilitation plan, Joshimath has been brought down by NTPC engineers since there is no way to reverse the current scenario or make any attempt at restoration. 

Jha attributed the Joshimath catastrophe to aquifer breaches and blamed NTPC, which insisted that the tunnel for their hydropower project did not cross beneath Joshimath.

The Joshimath tragedy was caused by NTPC engineers tunnelling beneath Joshimath and damaging aquifers with their tunnel-boring machinery. In a lengthy Twitter thread analysing the disaster, Jha wrote: "Muddy waters seeping out from dwellings and the earth is a witness to the engineered crime leading to aquifer breaches.

Joshimath and other hill towns' carrying capacity will be studied by Uttarakhand.Not all types of soil are appropriate for digging.Not all soils are level and suitable for digging, hauling, and blasting.

The Himalaya is one of the newest mountain ranges, it is located in a seismically active area, and to top it all off, it is a stage for extreme weather phenomena. And yet, they create a plan on AutoCAD, maybe identical to the one they used for the renovation of Sarojini Nagar or a copy of one from Hong Kong, and manage to have it "passed. " Alluvial, laterite, desert, black cotton, peaty, and other soil types should be taught in our engineering schools to start. All soil is distinct and has a varied carrying capacity, according to Jha. "Not every soil is plain dirt to be excavated, moved, blasted, or tunnelled with your technical prowess," he added.

Disasters caused by nature are not natural.

The environmental expert noted that the Chamoli flash flood, which occurred in February 2021, was in the same project site and a glaring illustration of Himalayan ecological fragility. Regardless of party affiliation, Jha claimed that the government is rushing to maximise short-term benefits, primarily for contractors and private businesses.

In cracks, there is no coincidence.

After Joshimath, homes in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, etc. started to develop cracks. The proximity of all of them to the Char Dham Road project, a rail tunnel zone, or a hydropower project, according to Jha, is not a coincidence.

Exactly what is going on in Joshimath? Here are the most recent changes.

1. Joshimath, located 513 kilometres from Delhi, 45.2 kilometres from Badrinath, and 51 kilometres from Kedarnath, was the destination of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's trip to Joshimath, where he spent the night assuring the town's afflicted citizens.

2. People evicted from their homes in Joshimath will receive temporary help in the amount of Rs. 1.5 lakh.

3. Joshimath's Malari Inn and Mount View Hotel will be mechanically destroyed. The citizens' objections caused the demolition to be put on hold. The officials declared that no further homes will be destroyed.

4. Water was percolating in an underground pipe that had ruptured more than a week before. The chief minister claims that this has diminished.