The crisis in Joshimath has brought into focus the issue of land subsidence which has for years been threatening several places of Uttarakhand, including the pilgrim town of Karnaprayag and Landour.
Around 80 km from Joshimath, at least 50 houses at Bahuguna Nagar in Karnaprayag have been developing cracks since 2015. Locals hold gradual land subsidence responsible for the fissures and attribute it to the widening of the national highway, violation of norms in construction works related to mandi parishad, erosion caused by the Pindar river and unsystematic flushing out of rainwater.
Debris brought down by a landslide from above Bahuguna Nagar first inflicted damage to houses in 2015, former chairman of Karnaprayag municipal council Subhash Gairola said. The municipal council had intervened immediately and the damage was restricted. It, however, started aggravating with the widening of the national highway in recent years and the unsystematic flushing out of rainwater in absence of a drain along the Karnaprayag-Kankhool road.
