Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana on Friday said various cracks had been noticed in 868 buildings of Joshimath.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/uttarakhand-govt-waives-off-electricity-and-water-bills-of-locals-affected-in-joshimath-disaster/article66499764.ece

Meanwhile, 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.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/uttarakhands-joshimath-officially-declared-sinking-zone-over-60-families-evacuated-3674183

Notably, the Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh retreated at an alarming rate of 20.5m annually between 2015-2021, creating three new glacial lakes in 2023, including one that burst near Kedarnath temple due to a cloud burst in Chamoli hills in 2013.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/time-to-harness-biomass-to-combat-climate-change-in-punjab-8885770/

Similarly, Badrinath National Highway near Chamoli district was also blocked in three places due to falling debris as incessant rainfall continued in the region.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/cloudburst-in-uttarakhands-uttarkashi-village-damages-houses-roads-schools-closed/article67108876.ece

The Chamoli district administration has stopped NTPC’s project, Helang Marwari Bypass and all other construction work going on in Joshimath till further orders.

Source: https://www.mangalorean.com/panic-grips-joshimath-as-cracks-emerge-in-houses-cm-orders-evacuation/