Geophysical scientists from Hyderabad to study land subsidence issue in Joshimath
Hyderabad (PTI): A team of experts from CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) will be leaving for Joshimath in Uttarakhand, which witnessed land subsidence recently, to conduct subsurface physical mapping of the affected town, a senior scientist has said.
The 10-member team headed by NGRI's senior principal scientist Anand K Pandey is expected to reach the site on January 13 and start their work from the following day. The tests are expected to continue for two weeks, and the collated data would then be analysed to ascertain the reason for the sinking of the ground there.
Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.
"Our equipment is already on the way. On 13th January, the whole team will move to this site. And from 14th onwards, we will be there for at least two weeks to do the survey of that area. We are planning to do shallow subsurface physical mapping for water saturation and soil characteristics," Pandey told PTI.
He further said NGRI has been conducting several research works in Uttarakhand for the past four years in the areas of earthquakes, floods and landslides.
Pandey said they are going to do an electrical survey which is very important at such seismic zones.
The senior scientist said they will be using multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method, a non-destructive seismic method to evaluate material layer thickness and its shear wave velocity, to measure the thickness of the soil.
The team will also use ground penetration to find out minor cracks, water saturation of smaller size or fractures in the subsoil or cavities using ground penetrating radar.
"In addition to that, we are also using field mapping," he said.
NGRI is one of the largest scientific networks in Uttarakhand and in future, the institute will be able to provide early warnings about floods also, he said.
The number of subsidence-affected homes rose to 678 while 27 more families were evacuated to safety, a bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority in Chamoli said on January 9, adding that 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town so far.
The Centre on Tuesday had announced that it will install micro-seismic observation systems in Joshimath.
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Several Gurugram schools receive hoax bomb threats
Gurugram (PTI): Several Gurugram schools received another hoax bomb threat emails on Wednesday morning, prompting police to launch searches on the premises.
Police said the email was sent by the 'Khalistan National Army', with threats issued to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to declare April 29 as the "40th Khalistan Declaration Day". It also threatened to bomb the Red Fort in Delhi.
Police said it was a hoax as no suspicious items were found after an intensive search.
Several schools, including Shri Ram, Amity, and the HDFC school, received threatening emails at 8.33 am, when classes had already begun, police said.
The school administrations became aware of the threats around 9 am and immediately informed the police, a senior police officer said.
The schools immediately implemented emergency protocols, with many declaring a holiday and asking parents to take their children home safely, the officer said.
A large number of anxious parents gathered outside the schools, as police and bomb squad teams reached the spots and started checks.
"Around 10 schools have approached the police from morning until now over bomb threats. Police teams are alert, and searches are underway on all the premises", the officer said.
As soon as the information about this email was received, police in Gurugram and Delhi swung into action and started investigation.
Schools immediately implemented emergency protocols upon receiving the mail. Many schools declared a holiday and sent messages to parents, asking them to take their children home. Large crowds of parents gathered outside the schools.
The schools were sanitised by sending a bomb disposal squad as well as a dog squad.
A senior police officer said that police teams thoroughly searched the school premises, classrooms, buildings, and surrounding areas. No suspicious objects or explosive materials were found during the investigation.
"Police teams are seriously investigating the entire matter. Cyber experts are being consulted to determine the authenticity of the email, its source, and the identity of the sender", added the officer.
This is the third time since January that schools have received fake bomb threats.
In March, at least a dozen schools in the city received bomb threat emails, which later turned out to be hoaxes.
Similarly, on January 28, as many as 13 schools received hoax bomb threats via email, forcing authorities to evacuate campuses and suspend classes.
Last month, police arrested a Bangladeshi national whose email ID was allegedly used to make a bomb threat for some payment.
