Joshimath, a Himalayan town located in Uttarakhand, is prone to frequent landslides and other adverse geological events owing to its location, construction typology, and local weather patterns. In the first week of January 2023, land subsidence in Joshimath drew attention from the media, and the entire town was on the verge of collapse, as cracks had developed in houses and other buildings. On the night of January 2, water began to gush through the lower slope of the town, and parts of the town subsided.

It is estimated that 20,000 people were directly affected by the landslide, and upwards of 700 buildings were damaged. Many of the affected families lost their homes, which eventually resulted in widespread food scarcity. Similarly, families who owned large plots of land or raised livestock ran out of food to feed their animals. The government announced the relief package for housing repair. Although the government announced that they would begin providing relief packages for housing repair, poor and vulnerable families were unable to receive compensation if they lacked the proper documentation.

Response of ActionAid Association (AAA)

ActionAid Association conducted a rapid damage-assessment survey in the affected wards of Joshimath: Dodil, Gandhinagar and Singhdar. Relief workers prepared a list of the most vulnerable families in these three areas with the support of community volunteers. With the help of volunteers, ration kits were provided to 632 families and livestock fodder was given to 275 households. Each ration kit contained rice, flour, lentils, sugar, cooking oil, tea, spices, biscuits, and hygiene items like sanitary pads, bathing soap and detergent soap.

Relief workers with ActionAid Association also organised meetings in the community and met with the people in relief camps. We provided support to individuals who needed to file and submit official documents to receive government-sponsored compensation. Relief workers met with government officials regularly throughout the aftermath of the landslide to ensure that families from marginalised backgrounds would be fairly included in the compensation process.