Joshimath town sinking: Anatomy of a Himalayan disaster in the making
JOSHIMATH: Joshimath is a town on the edge.
It’s the very precipice for thousands of people, despairing as the lives they have always known slip away just as their mountain town sinks a little more each day and cracks on their homes get dangerously wider.
Families are segregated, and pets and cattle remain unattended as people move out to safety.
Many small businesses have shut shop or are in the process of doing so.
The future looms dark and uncertain with residents saying they are not sure how long it will take for the earth to swallow their hometown.
“This is a disaster in the making. Many of its implications will unfold in the days to come. You will soon see an epidemic of mental issues cropping up in the town,” Atul Sati, president of the Joshimath Bachao Sangarsh Samiti and environmental activist, told PTI.
The fear of the unknown tomorrow is constant.
Two weeks after she woke up to a loud sound, akin to stones crumbling against each other, Nita Devi is still in a daze.
The family has been evacuated to safety and she returns each day to see if her home is still intact.
-PTI
