Which Parts of Tehran are Sinking Fast? and Why?
Independent Aggregator of Iran-related Events/News, Kodoom.com: Parts of Iran’s capital city, home to some 13 million residents, are subsiding by 25 centimetres each year according to recent satellite data discussed in Nature.
The latest data put new figures on the problem. The western Tehran Plain — a mix of Tehran’s urban sprawl, satellite cities and agricultural land — is subsiding at a rate of 25 centimetres per year, and the Varamin Plain, an agricultural region to the southeast of the city, is subsiding at a similar rate. The city’s international airport — located southwest of Tehran — is sinking 5 centimetres annually.
Uneven street surfaces, shifted curbs, sink holes, cracks in the walls and even tilted buildings and large fissures can be seen in the city's southwest and southeast suburbs.
The sinking of Tehran is linked to the depletion of groundwater aquifers. Iran is facing general drought conditions and the authorities are fighting a losing battle as they try to regulate water extraction. An estimated 30,000 illegal wells are still in operation across Greater Tehran. According to Dr. Firouz Naderi, a former Director at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Dr. Kaveh Madani, the exiled former Deputy Head of Iran's Department of Environment, poor water management policies in Iran have resulted in the depletion of groundwater aquifers, which are being sucked dry to irrigate nearby farmland and serve greater Tehran.
Furthermore, in recent years, dangerous levels of nitrate have been reported in Tehran's drinking water, as well as surface water and groundwater due to the expansion of agricultural and industrial activities.
Subsidence, caused by growing populations and increased extraction of underground water, oil and gas, is a problem in cities globally. For example, previous satellite measurements have shown that some areas of Jakarta are sinking at more than 20 centimetres per year, and the San Joaquin Valley in California — home to several cities — by up to 60 centimetres per year.
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