In Uttarakhand land sinking, a forewarning

As we build roads and power projects in the fragile mountains, dangerous consequences await us.

If landslides, floods, droughts and food insecurity were recurring annual problems for the mountain people, such disasters are now being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. The sinking of settlements has added to these woes. The gradual sinking of Joshimath, an important mountain town in Uttarakhand, India, with around 25,000 residents, made headlines in the first week of this year. Situated on an unconsolidated geological deposit on the banks of the Dhauliganga and the Alaknanda, the two major sources of the River Ganga in Uttarakhand, Joshimath is a