“20 Million People” in Iran Live in Land Subsidence Areas
The secretary of Iran’s national natural hazards working group says nearly 20 million of the urban population live in land subsidence areas with varying rates.
According to Ali Beit-Olahi, nationwide studies have shown that land subsidence has occurred in 18 out of 31 provinces.
The secretary of Iran’s national natural hazards working group told ISNA news agency that land subsidence is occurring in more than 600 plains across the country, with conditions in several of them reaching a critical state. Additionally, lands in 31 cities in Isfahan province, 30 cities in Tehran, 25 cities in Kerman province, and 24 cities in Razavi Khorasan province have experienced subsidence.
Ali Beit-Olahi attributed the widespread subsidence to declining groundwater levels and said that if this process continues, even moderate-magnitude earthquakes could cause extensive damage.
Source: Radio Farda
