SRINAGAR: A locality in Chenab valley is sinking and the people have been evacuated to a safe place, reports reaching from Doda said. So far 21 families comprising 111 persons have been shifted to a nearby Jammu Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) facility.
The sinking spot is part of Thathri’s Nai Basti village where the road and a cluster of homes are sinking. It is located not far away from the road to Kishtwar, the arterial highway. The village has more than 50 households but only a cluster is facing the sinking crisis.
“Authorities are also there and the factors responsible for the sinking are being ascertained,” Syed Imran, a volunteer of the NGO Ababeel said. “Our volunteers rushed to the area and helped in quick evacuations.”
Imran said the village is slightly bigger but the impacted area is a huge steep patch that has the 16 houses which developed cracks. The link road, he said, is also sinking.
The affected people have been shifted to the PDC facility at water point Tipri and a JKTDC facility nearby. The damaged constructions included the local mosque.
Officials said experts have been sent to the village to ascertain the cause of the soil shifting which has led to cracks. The entire mountainous region is highly fragile and massive biotic interventions have impacted the area’s geology. Chenab valley is Jammu and Kashmir’s main powerhouse and almost ninety percent of all hydro electric dams are in the region.
The fast-flowing Chenab is also triggering massive land slides impacting all the roads and the highway.
Two years back, the region would witness tremors for most of the summer forcing people to spend their days and nights under open sky. However, the reasons behind the massive sinking in a spot not more than hector are to be investigated.
Sinking was reported in Jammu as well. In Narwal a 3-storey building collapsed a day earlier. Authorities have declared a huge locality unsafe in the temple town, already.
