Scientists involved in studying Joshimath’s land subsidence told TOI on Tuesday that snow and rain – which began on January 20 – had caused “significant” cracks on the strategically key National Highway-58, which is the sole motorway leading to the pilgrim town of Badrinath and Mana, the final Indian village towards the China border.A senior scientist, who’s on the ground, said, “This is basically ground settlement, a phenomenon which we also call ‘side and subsidence’. It means that the earth below the road is unstable and hence cracks appear on the road surface. The pattern is similar to what we have witnessed in Joshimath town so far.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/latest-updates-from-cities-delhi-traffic-weather-cold-wave-jnu-lucknow-karnataka-rajasthan-andhra-chennai-west-bengal/liveblog/97294755.cms