The hilly town of Joshimath has been declared a sinking zone, and now another town, Karnaprayag in India's Uttarakhand, has been hit by land subsidence.
On Tuesday morning, several locals were shocked to see deep cracks appear on the walls and in the floors of their homes, triggering panic among residents about their homes sinking.
Saurabh Bahuguna, a Member of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, told Indian media that other villages near Joshimath faced a similar threat.
Demolition in Sinking Joshimath Set to Begin
On Tuesday, the district administration, officials from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) and the disaster management team will start the demolition of hotels and homes in Joshimath that have developed deep cracks and are no longer safe to live in.
The Malari Inn and Mount View hotel are among the buildings that are at high risk which have tilted towards each other and will be razed to the ground.
The incidents of land subsidence made headlines last week after cracks appeared in around 678 buildings in the Joshimath area.
A total of 81 families, around 4,000 people, have been moved to safer areas and relief and rescue operations are underway, the disaster management force told Indian media.
The administration has also distributed food kits and blankets to the affected families and funds to procure essential household items.
What is Joshimath Famous For?
Joshimath was built on the slopes of the old landslides and it became famous as the place where religious reformer Adi Shankaracharya attained enlightenment in the 8th century.
Situated just 50 kilometers away from India's border with China, Joshimath is a gateway to highly revered religious Hindu shrines Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, and to a number of Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions and trekking trails.
However, in the recent Uttarakhand Disaster and Accident Synopsis (UDAS) report, experts said that Joshimath is at risk of landslides. They also said that over 500 houses were not fit to live in.
On December 24, locals shut down their shops and took to the streets to protest against the government's lack of action. They also asked the government to stop construction projects in the town because they thought it was in danger.