Member Since: 5/10/2012
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46 Chinese cities are sinking
Quote:
China's cities are sinking, according to a new scientific study published this month in the journal Remote Sensing.
According to the Chinese government, 46 cities across China are sinking into the ground. In the last decade alone, Beijing has sunk 14 inches. The city continues to sink at a rate of nearly 11 centimeters per year.
The study, conducted by an international team of seven scientists and engineers is based on InSAR radar technology, which monitors land elevation changes.
This sinking phenomenon, called subsidence, has a number of causes. The rapid construction of massive buildings, roads, and other infrastructure projects has put a lot a weight on the ground.
Excessive pumping of groundwater is also a major problem that plagues thirsty urban areas as they struggle to keep up with rising populations and water demand. Both Shanghai and Beijing have struggled with overtaxed aquifers.
And the sinking soil has an impact on other critical aspects of city infrastructure.
“We are currently carrying out a detailed analysis of the impacts of subsidence on critical infrastructure (e.g. high-speed railways) in the Beijing plain,” wrote the study’s authors in an email to the Guardian. “Hopefully a paper summarising our findings will come out later this year.”
Beijing is particularly concerned about the impact the subsidence could have on the city’s trains, which transport a large number of the city’s 20 million residents each day.
There could be hope for Chinese cities, however. Much of the problem is rooted in poor enforcement of groundwater pumping regulations, which offers an obvious area for improvement.
And there are other cities which are exploring potential solutions, including Mexico City, which is sinking even faster than Beijing, at a rate of 28 centimeters per year.
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http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Globa...na-are-sinking
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