Parts of Beijing Sink 11 CM a Year, Research Shows

(Beijing) – The land under some parts of Beijing sank by as much as 11 centimeters per year on average from 2003 to 2011 due to the overconsumption of groundwater, research published in the journal Remote Sensing in June shows.

The rate of sinking accelerated in parts of the city over the past decade, and this threatened its subway system, buildings and underground natural gas and heating pipelines, said Li Guoping, vice director of Peking University's Beijing Development Institute.