Weather in India.2019 and up

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An endangered Himalayan settlement has dropped 5.4cm in days

The Indian town of Joshimath, known as a gateway to the Himalayas, sank by 5.4cm, sometime between late December and early January, the Indian space agency has reported. The popular tourist destination, at an altitude of over 6,000 ft (1800 meters), is prone to subsidence, partially due to infrastructure development.

A report by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released on Wednesday detailed changes detected by satellite observation of Joshimath, revealing that a rapid subsidence event had taken place sometime between December 27, 2022 and January 8, 2023.

The region's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, ordered a mass evacuation after a 603 buildings in the town were found to have deep cracks.

Recorded elevation changes varied between 1 and 5.4cm, the data shows. ISRO observations over the past year have detected a slow subsidence of up to 9cm over a period of nine months, the report said.

Joshimath is located in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on the slope of a hill and is a popular destination for pilgrims and tourists who visit the areas many temples.

However, the settlement sits atop inherently fragile Himalayan geology and a treacherous environment. Thousands of people have been killed over decades by natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, and avalanches. The Uttarakhand floods in February 2021 alone claimed over 80 lives.

Subsidence has affected Joshimath for some time, with the impact magnified by the depletion of groundwater for irrigation and the rapid development of infrastructure, including the construction of hydropower plants, according to scientists.

https://www.sott.net/article/476271-Indian-space-agency-satellite-observation-reports-Himalayan-town-rapidly-sinking

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Sudeep Lavania
India Today
Sun, 03 Mar 2024 14:36 UTC
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At least 37 people were killed in rain-related incidents across Pakistan in the past 48 hours, authorities said on Sunday.

The rains that have swept across Pakistan have led to the collapse of houses and triggered landslides that blocked roads, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, they said.

At least 27 people, mostly children, reportedly died in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan since Thursday night, the provincial disaster management authority said.


https://www.sott.net/article/489459-Rain-kills-at-least-37-within-48-hours-in-Pakistan-Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa-worst-hit

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Indian cities such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Chandbali, Paradeep, and Baripada are posting very low temperatures, breaking historical benchmarks.

On Wednesday, a host of locales across the eastern state of Odisha endured their coldest-ever March days.

Bhubaneswar posted a max of just 19.2C (66.6F) yesterday, smashing the previous record of 24.3C (75.7F) set back on March 6, 1970, and so making for the city's coldest-ever March day.

Likewise in Chandbali, thermometers struggled to 21C (69.8F), eclipsing the old record of 22.9C (73.2F) set on March 7, 1970.

Elsewhere, Cuttack reported a historic 20C (68F) which comfortably bested the 23.6C (74.5F) also set more than five decades ago.

With 20.4C (68.7F), Puri broke its previous low-max from 1989.

And even on the coast, Paradeep experienced a high of 20.7C (69.3F), breaking the previous record of 21.9C (71.4F) set on March 10, 2015.

While in Baripada, the mercury plummeted to 20.4C (78.7F), shredding the 22.3C (72.1F) from March 5, 1970.

India's cold has been aided by the snow-laden ground up north, over which descending polar air has been able to maintain its chill. Below is a look at the Atal Tunnel which runs under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Himalayas:
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/record-breaking-cold-grips-indian

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On Thursday, a number of locales in the eastern Indian state of Odisha experienced their coldest-ever April days, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

The likes of Angul, Titlagarh, Sambalpur, and Hirakud were among those to log their lowest-ever maximum temperature in the month of April, in books dating as far back as the 1920s.

As per the IMD data:


Titlagarh's 24C (75.2F) smashed the previous record of 28.5C (83.3F) set on April 4, 2008 (with books dating back to 1952);

Sambalpur's 25.7C (78.3F) equaled the previous low set April 7, 2018 (books also to 1952);

Hirakud's 26.1C (79F) bested the 'old' low set just last year, on April 22, 2023 (data since 1973);

And Angul's 26.7C (80.1F) beat the previous record by 1C, set April 6, 2008 (books extending to 1921).

You'll note that each of the previous records were set relatively recently, jarring with the AGW Party's theory of 'forever hotter'. What this actually supports is the recent IITM study that found 'cold wave days' (when the temp reaches 10C or lower, or is 4.5C below an area's average) are increasing across India, from 2-to-5 cold wave days per decade between 1951-2011, to almost 5-15 days in the last decade (ending 2021).

Extreme cold waves are increasing across India “despite global warming”, contends the study (more here).
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/another-three-avalanche-deaths-in