ISRO gets a gag order for sharing satellite images of sinking Uttarakhand town

Bengaluru: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been banned from sharing information about Uttarakhand's sinking town Joshimath on social media. The institution is also not allowed to speak with the media about ground subsidence.

The space agency had shared satellite images showing the rapid sinking of Joshimath. The report said that the town has sunk 5.4 cm in only 12 days (between December 27 and January 8). The report also quoted witnesses that the massive oil sinking happened due to a "rapid subsidence event triggered on January 2, 2023".

The National Disaster Management Authority said ISRO's "own interpretations" of the data are creating confusion, reported NDTV.

Joshimath is a holy town for Hindus. It is also home to Sikh shrines. The region showed deep cracks in December 2022. Rescue operations have so far evacuated 4,000 families. Environmentalists and locals have been speaking up against indiscriminate construction in sensitive towns for years. Many think widening roads, building dams and power plants, and constructing multi-storey buildings like hotels have contributed to the disaster.

The NDMA letter to government institutions said that it is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter in social media platforms, and also they are interacting with media with their own interpretation of the situation. It is creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the country.

The agency further said an expert group has been formed to assess the sinking progress and requested ISRO to "sensitise their organisation" about the matter. The institutions are told to refrain from sharing information until the expert group is ready to release a final report.