Living in Beijing is tough. You have to deal with the smog that is constantly choking you, rivers filled to the brim in trash, and toxic running tracks. But it turns out, they have even more to worry about — sinking.
According to CNN, an international study led by Beijing-based researchers has discovered that the city is dropping by as much as 11 centimeters (4 inches) in some districts per year. The reasoning behind this being that the city has depleted its groundwater.
Beijing comes in as the fifth most water-stressed city in the world. As China continues to urbanize, their sinking only gets worse. Studies have shown that in the years 2003-2010 Beijing has been sinking at an alarming rate, with almost 4 inches a year.
Beijing's central districts are among the worst that are affected, the study reports. "The main subsidence bowls are distributed over the Chaoyang, Changping, Shunyi and Tongzhou districts. Chaoyang, in the eastern suburbs, is the worst effected, with subsidence of 11 cm per year." CNN reports.
This rapid sinking could affect buildings, public work projects and the city's entire railway.
Massive infrastructure projects to divert water, particularly in the north of China, have been undertaken to relieve shortages in some of the country's most stricken regions.
