Water samples from the Joshimath NTPC project do not match: preliminary test results
A preliminary test result from the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) in subsidence-affected Joshimath, Uttarakhand, indicates that the water coming out of fissures in the city is distinct from the water in the NTPC tunnel in Tapovan.
The state government had instructed the NIH to collect water samples from the JP community, where around 15-foot-long fissures had emerged on a border wall with water spilling through them, and the NTPC’s tunnel project and compare the two samples in response to irate protests by residents of Joshimath.
The action was conducted in response to suspicions that the ground sinking near Joshimath was related to the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric project by NTPC. The NTPC refuted the charges, stating that its 12.1-kilometre-long tunnel did not run beneath Joshimath and that because a boring machine excavated the tunnel, no blasting was currently taking place.
“On the 5th and 6th of January, a team of NIH scientists accompanied us to the two sites and collected samples from JP Colony in Joshimath and the Tapovan tunnel. According to a preliminary study given by the NIH, the features and makeup of the two samples are distinct. However, this is only a preliminary assessment, and the NIH has requested an additional week to provide the final report, the Secretary of Disaster Management informed The Deccan Era.
Thursday, while briefing the media on the work being done in disaster-stricken areas, Sinha stated that crack metres set by the Central Building Research Institute indicate no rise in the cracks’ diameter over the past three days.
The water discharge near JP Colony, which had decreased to 100 LPM (litres per minute) on Wednesday from 540 LPM (litres per minute) during the first week of January, climbed to 150 LPM on Thursday.
The chief minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, attended an assessment meeting with senior officials in Dehradun and stated that work on a future plan should commence as soon as assessments from all technical institutions and scientists on the cause of land subsidence are received.
“Today, Chief Minister Dhami met with senior state officials to discuss continuing relief efforts in Joshimath. He was informed of the current status of the work performed by several federal and state technical institutions. He commanded that the disaster management tasks be completed without delay. He stated that there will be no scarcity of funding for disaster management in Joshimath,” stated Sinha, who added that the chief minister had asked the Urban Development Department to create effective urban town planning for each district. Sinha added that instructions have been issued for the effective organisation of drainage and sewer systems in hill communities.
“The treatment work will be expedited after the submission of study reports. Locals’ suggestions will be considered for the resettlement of individuals affected. The district magistrate of Chamoli has been instructed to collate villagers’ suggestions and deliver them to the administration as soon as possible. In addition, Chief Minister Dhami has instructed officials to develop a phased plan for drainage and sewerage in cities without such a system, according to a statement issued by the state government.
