The worrying list of sinking cities in the world
Recently, the news was in the international media that Indonesia would relocate its capital because the current one is sinking. This sparked criticism from environmentalists who suggest that these cities should never have been built there. However, it is not the only city in the world that has this problem, since there are others worldwide that are sinking.
The main reason is that they are cities very close to sea level, but in addition, they excessively extract groundwater, which creates a vacuum between the pores of the earth that are occupied first by oxygen and then by more land, this causes subsidence and cities are the biggest victims.
Houston is another sinking city, according to the United States Geological Survey, the city has sunk 3.6 meters since 1920 and is still losing ground. If this continues, the city would have to build great walls in the following years if it does not want to end up below sea level.
Lagos in Nigeria, also has no luck. The large amount of eroded land causes that the water does not achieve a correct filtration, in addition, the little water that is obtained in the city is through underground operations. International organizations warn that if the sea increased only 2 meters in height, due to any seismic or natural event, the city would disappear completely.
New Orleans is another city that is progressively sinking. The city with the arrival of Hurricane Katrina understood how difficult it is to stay at sea level, so it is suggested that construction be done away from the coast.
Beijing itself is not coastal, but it draws too much groundwater and this is causing it to sink up to 11 centimeters in a year. If this continues, this figure would double. And in the next 50 years the city would manage to sink a little more than 15 meters, which means that it would destroy all the current infrastructure.
Washington is another sinking city in the United States, even at a slower pace than Beijing. The city would lose only 10 cm in the next 50 years. However, the reason is that an ice sheet that has existed for billions of years is melting.