“Even earthquakes don’t leave such wide cracks.”

[ad_1]

The cracks I saw yesterday were the biggest I’ve ever seen. We are afraid.’

All photographs and videos: courtesy of Vijayant Rawat

Two nights ago when Vijayant Rawat’s mother got up in the night to go to the bathroom, she realized that the door wouldn’t open.

I kept pushing, but the door wouldn’t budge.

The next morning when family members went out to check, they found cracks. Part of the balcony was sunk into the bathroom door.

The house was built in 1984 by Vijayant’s father who came to Joshimath from a village near Dauli Ganga up in the hills. He worked as a clockmaker and built the monolithic style of the hilltop house, adding more rooms as the family grew and the more money there was to spare.

The 12 individual rooms in Rawat’s house are occupied by the families of the four Vijayant siblings and their elderly mother who has retired as a school teacher.

Cracks appeared in the house near the Mount View Hotel. The hotel is being demolished because it had wide cracks and was leaning towards another hotel.

Part of Rawat’s house facing the mountains has sunk slightly and cracks have widened. The part that joined two adjoining terraces sank overnight and the house cracked.

There are cracks in the stairs leading to the balcony. Muddy water came out of the cracks in the road outside the house.

The house is on the street and 100 meters from the “red” or “danger” zone.

Last week two teams cleared the house.

“Minor cracks due to earthquakes are normal in hilly areas, but the cracks I saw yesterday were the largest I’ve ever seen.”

“Even earthquakes don’t leave such wide cracks. We’re afraid,” says Vijayant Rawat, 50, a ski instructor and guide for whom winter tourism is the main earning season.

“I feel like my career and my living are over in Joshimath. We haven’t even recovered from the loss of income due to covid and now the hotels are closed because the city is flooding.”

“I doubt the tourists will come here again,” says Rawat, who is packing some things so he can take his school-going children to a relative’s house in Dehradun.

“Business is going to hurt,” says Rawat, who has been taking calls about his well-being from tourists he has served as a guide and mentor in the past.

Photo: cracks in the walls of the house.

Winter tourism was the main source of income when skiers from India and abroad came to Auli. He will earn around 300 rupees a day working as a temporary ski instructor with Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, a government initiative in Uttarakhand.

At the end of the ski season, he would act as a guide for pilgrims coming to Badrinath Yatra.

“The house in the mountains was built with great difficulty. People put their savings into it. The hill people also have limited means of livelihood, but in the past few years, winter tourism has been getting a good response. Skiing in Auli has been famous in the international level,” he says. says Rawat who has led ski teams as coach and head coach to Kashmir.

Photo: Visible cracks on the balcony.

He has also participated in the state Khelo India Khelo Games for the past two years.

“Following the development done in Kedarnath in the past few years, Badrinath has also seen an infrastructural enhancement which has increased footfall and everything related to tourism has been able to make money in the chain – from hotels to Chaiwalas and workers.”

“I don’t think things can get better here. Joshimath will continue to sink. Only God or nature can save Joshimath,” he says shrugged.

“There are a lot of scientific and geographic teams doing surveys and who knows, international teams will also come to study the area.”

“The government must ensure in the future that people in mountainous areas do not suffer like us. Knowledgeable experts must have knowledge about what is happening underground and make policies accordingly.”

Photo: cracks on the floor.

There are several villages and a large population residing before the town of Joshimath. Many of those villages are at risk due to subsidence.

“These people should come to Joshimath if they have to go to Rishikesh, Dehradun. Joshimath is the center of Hamkund Sahib, Badrinath, Valley of Flowers, Auli and it is the base camp for all mountain climbers,” Rawat continues.

“It is a 2,500-year-old ancient city founded by Adi Shankaracharya. It is a very important city both religiously and strategically because the Tibetan-Chinese border is only 100-150 km away.”

Photo: Vijayan Rawat.

Two teams from the government assessed his home and took the names of family members. “The government is focusing on those who are affected more than us. Let’s see what compensation will be given to us.”

“I am worried my house will flood and I will lose it.”

Watch: Videos of the Rawat House in Joshimath

Presentation: Aslam Honani / Rediff.com

[ad_2]