The district administration shifted 19 families amid massive land subsidence in Nai Basti in Thathri town of Jammu’s Doda district, on 3rd February 2023.
Crack thin as a hairline first made its appearance on Tariq Ahmad’ house external wall. Believing it to be caused by a recent earthquake, Tariq ignored it but after two days his house’s verandah supported by Iron bars only, broke into two. Cracks soon appeared in other neighborhood houses too.
The unknown cause of the massive land subsidence has put the villagers in dilemma and has left the entire village on the verge of destruction. A terrified Ahmad and other villagers abandoned their homes and left behind their precious possessions. In another heartbreaking incident, a head constable of Jammu & Kashmir Police’ house was reduced to a pile of debris.
V.P. Mahajan, Deputy Commissioner, Doda said that the district administration has shifted 19 families of Nai Basti village amid massive land subsidence to safe locations. He said, three of the houses in the village have already collapsed and others have developed cracks. The administration has declared a mosque and a religious school as unsafe places.
On being asked about the reason for the land subsidence similar to that of Joshimath, V.P. Mahajan said to news site The Wire that it will be quite early to make any comment until the Geological Survey of India (GSI) team submits its findings.
Major Developments & Projects in the Area
Nai Basti in Thathri town is about 30 kilometers away from Doda overseeing the Doda-Jammu highway and the Chenab river. An environmentalist from Srinagar said to The Wire that the Pir Panjal mountains which mainly separates Doda district along with others in Jammu from the Kashmir Valley, have become highly unsteady, as a result of dynamite blasts and hill cutting to build roads and power projects.
Jammu & Kashmir administration is currently engaged in expansion of National Highway 244 which connects Doda and Kishtwar districts in Jammu with Anantnag district in South Kashmir, to improve connectivity. The government is also in the middle of building the 850 MV Ratle hydropower project which is about some 7 km away from Thathri.
The environmentalists also told The Wire that there is no such evidence of projects causing land subsidence in Thathri so far, but the destruction of mountains for development purpose has put the people living in Pir Panjal and the Chenab Valley at grave danger.
Conclusion
The prevailing land subsidence has created panic among the villagers, while on the other hand, the administration is still battling to explain the root cause behind the massive land subsidence.