Mumbai is sinking! According to reports, Mumbai needs to have urgent planning done by municipal authorities otherwise the city will see increased flooding. Apart from Mumbai which is sinking at a rate of 2mm every year, Tianjin in China is the fastest sinking coastal city in the world at a rate of 5.2cm per year.
Why Is Mumbai Sinking?
According to research, land subsidence is the reason behind Mumbai’s sinking. The Arabian Sea is rising by 0.5 to 3mm per year as the sea levels are rising. A Climate Action Plan was also launched earlier this year. However, if proper measures aren’t taken, Mumbai will face improper flooding and property damage. Mumbai is the second-most populous city in India, after Delhi. and data suggest that the city is sinking at a rate of over 2 mm per year.
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Mumbai’s Other Sinking Areas
An area in Wadala West, near Thane, showed land subsidence of 80mm between 2016 to 2019. Many parts of the Sion-Panvel Expressway too, are going through land subsidence.
What Is Land Subsidence?
Land subsidence means downward, vertical movement of the earth’s surface which is caused by groundwater extraction, mining, and other ecological disturbances.
Other coastal cities which are sinking include Semarang – 3.96cm per year and Jakarta – 3.44cm per year in Indonesia, Shanghai – 2.94cm per year in China, Ho Chi Minh – 2.81mm per year and Hanoi – 2.44cm per year in Vietnam.
The study analysed all total land subsidence in 99 countries globally.
Land Subsidence is an irreversible mode and can damage roads, bridges, railways and others. Mumbai’s urban planners have to urgently see to a plan to fight climate change and work out a suitable technique to avoid land subsidence
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