Unscientific development

Joshimath subsidence is a warning sign

The subsidence of land in Joshimath, the gateway to several places of pilgrimage and skiing destination Auli, may have been triggered by the unscientifically planned developmental works in its vicinity, but its genesis lies in the indiscriminate anthropogenic activities inimical to the ecologically sensitive and geologically fragile Himalayan region. In fact, this incident needs to be viewed as a warning sign for such calamities to happen more frequently and at more places in future. Though almost the entire Himalayan terrain is prone to landslides, Uttarakhand, being located in the seismically most active Zone V, is particularly vulnerable because most of