{
 "no": 25,
 "id": "case-25",
 "sk": 20230102,
 "year": 2023,
 "date": "Jan 2023",
 "cat": "Environment",
 "sev": "amber",
 "title": "Joshimath. A Himalayan town sinking",
 "stamp": "Warnings ignored for decades",
 "human": {
  "v": "Hundreds of families evacuated as homes cracked and streets buckled",
  "est": true
 },
 "cost": {
  "v": "A whole town destabilised, linked to hydro and highway projects",
  "est": true
 },
 "what": "The pilgrimage town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand began sinking in early 2023, with cracks tearing through hundreds of buildings and residents forced out.",
 "dodge": "Experts had warned for decades that the fragile slope could not carry heavy construction, and pointed to hydro-power tunnelling and the Char Dham road widening. Those warnings were overridden in the rush to build, and when the town cracked, the state managed the optics more than the causes.",
 "ministers": [
  {
   "n": "Uttarakhand state government (BJP)",
   "r": "Clearances and disaster response"
  },
  {
   "n": "Union environment / power ministries",
   "r": "Project approvals"
  }
 ],
 "pos": "The government said it was rehabilitating residents and studying the causes.",
 "alt": "Heed the geology, halt reckless Himalayan construction, and hold accountable those who cleared projects against expert advice.",
 "sources": [
  {
   "label": "The Hindu, ISRO NRSC report on Joshimath sinking",
   "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/isro-releases-satellite-images-showing-rise-in-joshimath-land-subsidence/article66373138.ece",
   "tier": 2,
   "archiveUrl": "http://web.archive.org/web/20240425072532/https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/isro-releases-satellite-images-showing-rise-in-joshimath-land-subsidence/article66373138.ece"
  },
  {
   "label": "Indian Express, 1976 Mishra Committee warnings",
   "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/from-46-yrs-ago-to-july-2021-report-after-report-rang-alarm-bells-in-joshimath-uttarakhand-subsidence-zone-8371592/",
   "tier": 2
  }
 ],
 "caseUrl": "https://whoisresponsible.xyz/case/case-25/"
}