Beijing is among the fastest sinking places in the country, according to The New York Times. The same is true of neighboring Tianjin, where last year thousands of residents were evacuated from buildings after the streets suddenly split.
Sinking is associated with a number of factors. Among the causes for sinking land is the rampant extraction of groundwater in China — done faster than water can be replenished and also worsened by drought and climate change. Other factors that also influence subsidence include urban transport systems and the extraction of minerals and coal.
As China’s cities grow, they also sink. The growing weight of cities, which comes with their rapid development, also contributes to the soil being compacted and them sinking.
This phenomenon increases the risk of flooding for a large part of the population. In coastal Chinese cities, this subsidence threatens millions of people with flooding as sea levels rise.
The study projects that by 2120, 22 to 26 percent of China’s coastal land will have a relative elevation below sea level. — due to the combined effect of city subsidence and sea level rise itself.
The key to minimizing this damage would be to limit groundwater extraction, the researchers wrote. Also according to The New York Times, Shanghai has already adopted this approach and is sinking more slowly than other Chinese cities. Other regions are also combating subsidence by injecting water into depleted aquifers.
