Joshimath crisis | 99 families shifted, no homes razed so far and the row over NTPC tunnel — Top developments

After the tunnelling exercise conducted by the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) was blamed for the Joshimath 'sinking' crisis, the state-owned conglomerate explained on Friday that its project has no role in the subsidence of the region. In its reply to the power ministry, it said a tunnel connected to the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project is 1 kilometre from Joshimath town and at least a kilometre below the ground.

The reply by India's largest electricity-generating company came after the Union Power Ministry had summoned its officials to review the subsidence issue in Joshimath. Hundreds of houses and hotels in Joshimath have developed cracks due to this land subsidence or land "sinking" issues.

"The tunnel is at a horizontal distance of around 1.1 km away from the outer boundary of Joshimath town and vertically around 1.1 km below the ground level," NPTC wrote in the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by PTI.

It said the construction of the tunnel in rock mass at a depth of around 1 km causes no impact on the surface ground, including flora and fauna. "There are no signs of sinking around the tunnel alignment at the overground surface," it said, adding pictures of the region. It added that there was no active construction work happening in the area for about two years.

Earlier, some environmentalists also blamed the tunnel for the Joshimath crisis. Veteran environmentalist Ravi Chopra was quoted by News 18 as saying that “there is adequate reason to believe that what we are witnessing today in Joshimath is a result of the tunnelling exercise conducted by NTPC". Earlier, environment expert Vimlendu Jha said the town had been brought down by NTPC engineers as there is no scope for repair and no reverse gear from the present situation.

Land subsidence in Joshimath is a very old issue, with the first observance dating back to 1976. In its reply, the NTPC cited a state government-appointed M C Mishra Committee of that year blaming "hill wash, the natural angle of repose, cultivation area because of seepage and soil erosion" for the subsidence/cracks.

The construction work of the 4x130 MW Tapovan Vishnugad project started in November 2006. The project includes the construction of a concrete barrage at Tapovan (15 km upstream of Joshimath town). The project was to be completed in March 2013, but almost 10 years later, it is still 'under construction'. The project has also undergone a major cost escalation from the initial approved investment of Rs 2,978.5 crore to now an anticipated Rs 7,103 crore.

The company said during the construction of the tunnel, locals had raised concerns about the drying of the water table in the future in the Selong area, which is about 6 km away from Joshimath Town. An expert committee was constituted by DM Chamoli, which in August 2010 concluded that "there is no ground evidence of any instability induced by HRT excavation using TBM."

Due to continuing subsidence in Joshimath town, another committee was constituted by DM (Chamoli) in August 2022. The panel, NPTC said, stated power sewerage, rain and household waste-water seeping below ground, erosion due to floods and subsurface seepage were possible causes of subsidence in Joshimath town and the surrounding area.