With over 21.6 million people, the infrastructure of Mexico City faces a daily strain that is both immense and unique. And while we’ve covered some of the challenges this creates, including the recent and devastating collapse of a metro train overpass, a report on Wired.com adds a unique problem to the mix.
Using radar-based ground measurement tools that can go up to 100’ into the earth, geologists think areas of the world’s second largest city could sink as much as 100’ over the next 150 years.
The phenomenon is called subsidence, and it could be a big problem for nearly half of Mexico City’s population.
Subsidence happens when too much groundwater is extracted, causing the land above it to compact, and sink. And if that’s not bad enough, the land doesn’t sink in a uniform manner, which creates a huge issue for roads, bridges, sewer pipes and other infrastructure running between two endpoints that could be sinking, or not sinking, by disparate amounts.
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