TEHRAN - By executing a subsidence rate monitoring strategy, researchers at the National Cartographic Center identified 252 regions that are struggling with land subsidence.Reports show that 98 percent of the subsidence is caused by extreme extraction of underground water and mismanagement of water resources.Geologists call subsidence a silent earthquake since an earthquake is instantaneous and its effects are visible at the same time, but subsidence is the reason for ecological deficiency and its effect appears gradually; which is getting a big hazard in the country.Land subsidence, a progressive settling or sudden sinking of the Earths surface due to subsurface movement of earth materials is primarily caused by aquifer-system compaction, drainage, and decomposition of natural soils, underground mining, oil and gas extraction, hydro compaction, natural compaction, sinkholes, and defrosting permafrost.Subsidence results in significant economic losses in the type of structural damage and high maintenance costs.
This affects roads and transport networks, hydraulic infrastructure, sewer system, structures, and structures.
The overall damage around the world is estimated at billions of dollars annually.With the spread of dry spells and lack of appropriate water management, the gradual land subsidence has actually become a routine danger to the country.When the quantity of harvest is higher than the quantity of nourishment of the underground aquifers, the earth moves down and finally, the soil particles are compressed together, and in such a circumstance, the phenomenon of subsidence handles another meaning; It implies death of aquifers .
The scope of this man-made phenomenon has actually advanced to such a level that researchers in this field describe it with words such as cancer , permanent risk and death of the earth .
In order to provide a point of view of the countrys subsidence rate, the National Cartographic Center began a job in this field in 2016.
Morteza Seddiqi, an official with the Organization, informed ISNA that using satellite data and images is among the techniques that have actually been implemented to inspect the rate of subsidence of the entire nation.
Based on the studies carried out on these images, we have identified as lots of as 252 subsidence areas in the nation.
Two main factorsIn 2021, Gholam-Ali Jafarzadeh, the former head of the National Cartography Center, regreted that some 29 provinces are currently at danger of subsidence.He called 2 aspects of environment modification and human intervention as the most essential aspects of land subsidence in the nation and kept in mind that it is anticipated that we take steps to reduce the pressure on the environment.He included that 80 percent of the groundwater is withdrawn each year in Iran, which outpaces the worldwide rate.In the entire world, water resources withdrawal is in between 3 to 20 percent, and when it reaches 40 to 60 percent it is thought about problematic, and it will be a crisis when surpassing 60-80 percent, he noted.Over the previous years, some of the aquifer levels stopped by 100 centimeters.Inefficient watering approaches in addition to digging illegal wells are the other main causes of groundwater extraction-induced subsidence, as out of 50,000 wells pumping underground water resources in the capital, 30,000 are illegal.It must be kept in mind that over the next 40 years, the nations temperature level will increase by 2.6 degrees on Celsius Scale, which will increase the nations need for more water resources.Dealing with subsidenceThe installation of smart meter systems on the water pumps and wells is an efficient step in this regard.The Ministry of Energy should take steps toward lowering groundwater exploitation, in addition to prohibiting well construction along with closing down unlawful wells in the sinking provinces.It must likewise manage farming products and restrict the cultivation of water-consuming products in those provinces, and rather, present agricultural products which require a low quantity of water.The Ministry of Agriculture must comply to carry out watershed management projects in order to increase the storage capability of aquifers.The Department of Environment is another responsible organization that should take more serious actions toward environmental evaluation of land subsidence and its avoidance techniques.MG