Snowfall, rain brings fresh woes in 'sinking' Joshimath

New Delhi, Jan 20: At a time when people of Uttarakhand's 'sinking' town Joshimath are facing issues due to land subsidence, the region on Friday, received the season's first snowfall followed by rains on Friday. According to reports, the snowfall began around 4 am and the weather is expected to remain the same for the next 24 hours.

Apart from Joshimath located at around 6,000 feet, many famous locations in the higher altitudes of Chamoli district, including Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib, Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers, also received snowfall, officials said. The snowfall was continuing when last reports came in.

Rudraprayag district also received snowfall with the famed Kedarnath temple covered with snow. As a result of snowfall in the mountains, icy winds swept across the plains of Uttarakhand. Dehradun also woke to an early morning drizzle.

The Indian meteorological department (IMD) had predicted rain and snowfall in Joshimath, Chamoli and Pithoragarh on January 19, 20, 23 and 24. "There is a possibility of rain on January 19 and 20, while on January 23 and 24, there is a possibility of snowfall along with rain," Bikram Singh, director of Meteorological Center Dehradun, had earlier told ANI.

The major threat is that the houses and buildings, which have huge cracks, are in danger of collapsing due to rain and snowfall in the region. Meanwhile, the administration will also have to halt the demolition drive today due to inclement weather. The vehicles have also stopped plying as roads are completely covered with ice.

As many as 849 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks following land subsidence there and 258 families have been evacuated to temporary relief centres, officials said. The dismantling of unsafe hotels and private houses continues amid bad weather, they said.