A recent study has found that Beijing, the capital of China is sinking as much as 11 cm per year. As one of the largest cities in the world with a population over 20 million, this could prove to be a serious problem.
The study was conducted by a group of researchers including Li Zhenhong from Newcastle University, Chen Mi from Capital Normal University, and Roberto Tomas from the University of Alicante. Very precise ground elevation measurements were made using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and the findings were published in the Remote Sensing journal.
Beijing is located in a area of dry plains. Due to the immense population, groundwater is pumped up in large amounts which causes the water table to drop and the soil to settle. Damage to underground infrastructure is of chief concern and Beijing's extensive subway system could be seriously damaged in the event of a major collapse. The greatest risk is in the Chaoyang business district.
Already steps are being taken to reduce this risk by decreasing the amount of groundwater used by the city. Construction began in 2015 and has since been completed on the South-North Water Diversion, a vast network of canals and tunnels directing water to Beijing from the Hubei province. Due to this, city officials have been able begin phasing out a large number of wells. In addition, the govenment has been restricting the construction of new wells near rail lines. It is not yet known if these measures will be sufficient to slow the sinking, but they are a step in the right direction.
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