Joshimath Sinking: Traumatic start to the 2023

Hi,

My name is Brijesh Dimri, I am a native of Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, which is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. I am creating this fundraiser on behalf of my village members, a picturesque village that is sadly on the verge of collapsing and becoming extinct in a matter of days or even hours.

It is not only about sinking the entire village but the sad and inevitable collapse of this village will close doors to the most important Holy pilgrimage sites such Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath and the world heritage UNESCO site “the valley of flowers”. This village serves as the sacred doors to these sites for the indigenous people and many believers from all over India and some parts of the world.

People of my village have faced many challenges but nothing compares to some of the disasters that we have seen recently. In 2021, this area was gravely affected by the Uttarakhand floods and its aftereffects. Some of the challenges are also faced due to the geographical location as it is situated along the running edge of the mountain range. This year started with another bang to this region, when on the morning of January 2nd, the landslides and sinking of land started, that jolted the inhabitants who were sleeping in their homes. That morning many houses were found to have developed huge cracks causing the majority of the homes in this region to be now in danger and on the verge of collapse. Some government agencies are assessing the situation and working out to relocate people. So far nearly 600 people belonging to 145 families have been shifted from their homes to schools, hotels and homestays, after cracks developed in more than 750 buildings in the Himalayan town of 20,000 people.

It is to be noted that my family and my other village members received the call that their home is also going to be demolished as it is now marked in the danger zone, leaving no choice but to evacuate, leaving their life behind. This is traumatic on many levels. Many people in this region generate livelihood through tourism, and so the impact of relocation has become a biggest financial burden on families. Families with little children or elderly are finding it very hard. I have spoken to some members and they mentioned that they need financial help to relocate to better shelters, access medicines, and basic daily needs.

Here are the links if you want to see the tragedy that is causing the trauma for the innocent people of Joshimath Village. Please help me to help people in my village in need. Each passing day is becoming harder and more challenging. Thank you so much!