The Indo-Gangetic plain, which has stratified layers of sand and clay, is highly prone to subsidence from over-exploitation of groundwater. When the amount of groundwater extracted year after year is so much more than the rainfall that recharges the aquifer, the land can collapse and subside. Groundwater extraction has also caused subsidence in other parts of the world – San Joaquin Valley in California, Jakarta, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, amongst others.
Writing on the wall: Groundwater exploitation is triggering subsidence in Indo-Gangetic plain
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