12 Residential Units Evacuated in Nesim Shahr District of Tehran Due to Ground Subsidence

Youssef Nassiri, the acting director of Nesim Shahr Municipality, announced on Friday, December 31, that following ground subsidence with depths calculated at approximately 15 meters, these residential units face the risk of being “swallowed by the earth,” according to the Mehr news agency.

Nassiri cited “neglect of dry and buried qanats (irrigation tunnels)” as one of the main reasons for ground subsidence in the area. He stated that the aforementioned residential units were built in the 1980s by several developers who were aware of the existence of qanats. Due to moisture from these buildings, the qanats have experienced subsidence.

In recent months, multiple reports have been published regarding ground subsidence in various regions of Iran. In March of this year alone, ground subsidence in Pakdasht, Tehran resulted in the evacuation of 11 residential units. In August of this year, a video showing the consequences of ground subsidence in Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan also made headlines.

Alirez Shahidi, head of the Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration Organization of Iran, described the situation of ground subsidence in Iran in June of this year as a “catastrophe” and “silent earthquake,” stating that this phenomenon would create “security crises.”

The Intel Lab research institute, an international intelligence advisory group, also described ground subsidence in the Tehran area—reported at 25 centimeters annually—as a “silent time bomb” in satellite images released in July of this year, calling it a threat to the 13 million people living in these areas.

Source: Radio Farda