HIMALAYAN PEAKS IN PERIL
WHY ARE HIMALAYAN TOWNS SINKING?
Published By Livemint
| 05 Feb, 2023
After Joshimath in Uttarakhand, now Doda in J&K is witnessing the threat of land subsidence
As the land slides downwards, buildings develop wide cracks and there's high risk of structural failure
Geological and disaster management experts have given various reasons for these calamities
Young mountains such as Himalayas are fragile ecosystems thus vulnerable to even small disturbances
Recent indiscriminate development in the region has caused major geological imbalances
Given that Himalayas have delicate surface and groundwater systems, they get easily breached
Experts have suggested to declare Himalayas as an eco-sensitive zone and regulate big projects
Tampering with nature in garb of development can prove devastating for Himalayan settlements