In Pictures: Cracks begin to show in India’s Himalayan building spree

In January, cracks developed in more than 800 homes in Joshimath, 100 km from the border with China. Some houses crumbled completely, forcing hundreds of occupants to evacuate. Officials halted road construction work near the town, fearful of a bigger collapse.

Updated

Published

Feb 06, 2023, 09:04 AM

A labourer carries a container belonging to Ganesh Devi Rawat, 68, who vacated her house after cracks developed inside the building, following rapid urban expansion, in Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 14, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

Damaged walls crumble at a temple near a house in the Singdhar area of Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 13, 2023. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to carve roads and rail deep into the Himalayan mountains is smoothing the way for millions of Hindu and Sikh pilgrims to visit a clutch of religious sites that include the source of the Ganges river. PHOTO: REUTERS

Rajeshwari Devi, 34, cries as she holds her daughter Meghana, 3, at their house, which developed cracks following rapid urban expansion, in the Gandhinagar area of Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 16, 2023. Devi, along with her family, sleeps in a municipal building converted to a night shelter and only spends time in their house during the day. PHOTO: REUTERS

A worker stands next to an excavator as it removes stones flanking the national highway ahead of road widening, below houses once belonging to people who have since been moved out and received financial compensation, around 30km from Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 15, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

A view shows residential buildings and hotels in Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 16, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

Construction of a railway line and infrastructure work is photographed from the village Maroda, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 17, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

Residents protest against NTPC, the government's largest power producer, at a local administrative building, after cracks developed inside their houses following rapid urban expansion, in Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 13, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

A large crack divides the floor of a badminton court floor, which was part of a residential complex for workers at Jaypee, a construction and power company, in Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 15, 2023. After the cracks appeared in the complex following rapid urban expansion, the residents were moved out. PHOTO: REUTERS

Broken windows and cracks are seen inside a sports centre, which was part of a residential complex for workers at Jaypee, a construction and power company, in Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 15, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

Fractures line the wall of a house, that was vacated after cracks developed inside the building, in the Manohar Bagh area of Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 14, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

A television plays on the wall at the house of Rajeshwari Devi, 34, which developed cracks following rapid urban expansion, in the Gandhinagar area of Joshimath, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 16, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

Jaswant Singh Butola (R), 55, looks at houses which have been vacated due to damage that he says developed after infrastructure works began close to the village, while standing next to his neighbour Munni Devi, 55, in Maroda, in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, Jan 17, 2023. "I have been living here for past 40 years," Devi said. "The whole night the work goes on below on the railway line and the cement from the house keeps falling down. We live in a lot of risk." PHOTO: REUTERS

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