[URBAN NOTE] "Bangkok is Sinking Into the Earth"

[rfmcdonald]

Via Towleroad I came across Patrick Winn's Global Post article looking at the hard fate facing Bangkok, either relocation further inland or an expensive seawall to avoid being flooded out.

Thailand’s capital is both glitzy and gritty, a city of glass towers and cement hovels teeming with nearly 10 million people.

All that steel and concrete and humanity sits on what was once marshland. The ground beneath is spongy and moist. Imagine a brick resting on top of a birthday cake. That’s Bangkok — and it’s sinking into the Earth at an alarming rate.

Thailand’s disaster specialists have been warning of this coming calamity for years. One expert has said he’s “worried about Bangkok resembling Atlantis.” Another previously told GlobalPost that the city will be under five feet of water by 2030.

Previous estimates showed that Bangkok is sinking more than three inches per year. But newer data suggests the rate is closer to four inches per year.

The predictions for 2100 are even more dire. By then, Bangkok will be fully submerged and unlivable.