In Uttarakhand, homes crack, land sinks, Sindrwani villagers fear for their lives

Every jolt during the night sends a shiver down the collective spine of Sindrwani’s residents. The thunder of falling rocks and the eerie sound of shifting ground constantly reminds the Uttarakhand villagers of disaster looming.

But then, they have the evidence of their eyes too, do they not, by daylight?

Fresh cracks appear daily in the walls of their homes — they are not just breaking apart buildings, they are crushing hopes, trust and generations of hard-won dreams.

This is the daily reality of the residents of Sindrwani village in Uttarakhand, suspended between life and death.

Read this report in Hindi

Located in the Agastyamuni block of Rudraprayag district, Sindrwani Talli village has been grappling with landslides and land subsidence for over a week. Around 20 families have been losing sleep, any sense of security and peace of mind long fled. What were once safe homes are turning into piles of rubble around their ears. Helplessly, people are watching their fields, cowsheds and entire livelihoods — built over generations — sink into the earth.

Despite this, there has been little official response.

The entire village has one unanimous plea: “Relocate us before it’s too late.”

The villagers are trapped in a situation where they face danger from both sides — crumbling hills above and collapsing ground below. Yet, the authorities have taken no concrete steps to safeguard their lives. Frustration and fear are growing.

The people of this disaster-struck village haven’t slept properly for nights, watching their homes, lands and precious memories vanish before their eyes instead. When National Herald spoke with the villagers over the phone, their voices were rife with anguish and despair.

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To take stock of the situation, National Herald talked to Rajbhar, a resident of the village, who said that the entire village has been suffering from land subsidence for over a week now — to the point where there are now cracks in nearly every home.

Landslides triggered by continuous rain have swallowed up their fields, meanwhile.

Cowsheds have been destroyed, roads have completely caved in. Areas that were once lush and green now lie in ruin.

Rajbhar mentioned that while they’ve raised complaints several times, there has been no solid assurance. Authorities have visited — but no concrete decision has been forthcoming.

When the SDM visited the village yesterday, she said, “If you have land elsewhere, we’ll relocate you there. Otherwise, wait for the geologists. They will assess the level of danger.”

This means the fate of the village now depends on a scientific report and waits on ‘expert guidance’ — only after the survey will the authorities decide whether a relocation is even necessary, not by visible impact.

Lives buried under rubble

On the phone, Uttama Devi broke down in tears. Her voice trembling, she said, “Bhaiya, my son’s wedding is next month… but now everything is destroyed. The house, our belongings, our fields — nothing remains.”

The home they built with years of hard work and savings is no longer habitable.

“Even if not today, in a year or two we’ll have to leave this place.”

Uttama Devi and her husband worked as daily-wage labourers to earn enough to build their family home. No one in the family holds a government job. Her children work in hotels. “Now our house has collapsed,” she said.

With tearful eyes, she pleaded, “Please raise our voice… help us. No one wants to leave their home, but we have no choice. Right now, saving our lives is all that matters.”

Uttama also expressed anger at the political indifference. She said the local MLA has been informed, but hasn’t even visited. Instead, his son came briefly and left after advising them to “stay alert”.

No school, no roads — Sindrwani village hangs between life and death

The electricity supply in the village has resumed now, but residents have spent many nights in darkness.

This was confirmed by Vinod Rana, the husband of the village head (pradhan). When we spoke to him, he sighed deeply and said, “We’re still living in this village. No relocation has happened yet.”

Explaining the scale of the disaster, Rana said, “Everything’s gone — the school, the roads, entire homes have collapsed. We’ve temporarily moved some families into other homes in the village, but the entire village is barely holding on.”

He added that while the patwari (local revenue official) has been visiting regularly, but he too is echoing the SDM’s line: assess the risk first, then decide on relocation.

“Electricity and water are somehow running, but there’s no healthcare at all,” Rana complained.

He pointed out that in its 150-year history, the village has never faced such devastation. There were issues in 2009 due to heavy rain, and some damage during the 2013 disaster, but nothing like this. The current crisis is believed to be caused by improper drainage and instability near the stream below the village.

‘The village is crumbling, but railway tunnel work continues’

As the crisis deepens, residents of nearby villages have come forward to support Sindrwani. Mintu Bisht, who travelled from Sindrwani Palli to help his relatives in Sindrwani Talli, shared his concerns with us.

He said, “People here are living at the mercy of God, facing death every second. There’s a lot of anger against the administration, but for now, saving lives is all that matters.”

Bisht pointed out a shocking detail: just 3–4 km from the village, as the crow flies, work is still ongoing on the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag railway line, a flagship infrastructure project.

This raises a troubling question: could the blasting and tunnelling work be contributing to the current situation?

“People from other villages have reported feeling tremors during tunnel blasts,” he said, “although no such reports came from Sindrwani earlier.”

Regardless, Bisht confirmed that amidst heavy rains and landslides, the tunnel work continues. The sound of heavy machinery and dumpers can be heard echoing through the hills.

Time to act before a major tragedy strikes

Sadly, Sindrwani Talli is not the first village in Uttarakhand to face this kind of disaster. Villages like Joshimath, Atali (Narendranagar, Tehri), Wadia (Uttarkashi), Marora (Rudraprayag), Saud (Pauri) and others in Nainital are all teetering on the edge of collapse.

The truth is, people in these regions live with the fear of death every second. Their homes, lands, memories and identities are all slipping away. While authorities insist on waiting for geological surveys and technical reports, villagers are pleading for immediate relocation.

So the question must be asked: Is it not more important to prevent loss of lives rather than institute search-and-rescue operations with great fanfare later? Why is the government waiting for disaster to strike before acting?

When houses are collapsing, fields are vanishing and people are staying awake throughout the night in fear, how long can the wait upon ‘survey reports’ justify the government’s inaction?

Is the administration’s duty only to assess risk — and not to protect people from impending danger until it strikes?

This report was first published in Hindi in Navjivan. Access the original report here.

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