Ahmedabad echoes Joshimath as subsidence strikes amid Climate Change concerns

By Vivek Saini with inputs from Dhiraj Vyas

In an alarming echo of the ecological crisis that recently befell Joshimath nestled in the Himalayas, Ahmedabad, one of Gujarat’s major cities, finds itself grappling with a slow but steady descent. The cause of concern is land subsidence, a phenomenon accelerated by human activities, climate change, and the relentless depletion of groundwater resources. As our planet confronts the challenges of a changing climate, the warning signs from Ahmedabad serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for sustainable practices and environmental preservation.

Why is Ahmedabad going the Joshimath way? 

According to studies, Gujarat’s 110 km coastline is at risk of erosion because of the rising sea level and climate change. People are extracting massive amounts of groundwater, causing the city to sink. According to another study, the massive groundwater extraction is the reason for Ahmedabad’s annual sinking of 12 to 25 millimeters. Additionally, the city is sinking due to climate change and rising sea levels. To stop this problem, the scientists have urged greater public involvement.

When subsurface earth materials are removed or moved, the result is a slow sinking of the earth’s surface or an abrupt sinking. According to a study conducted by ISR (Institute of Seismology Research), the southern and western areas of the city experienced the most significant land subsidence, reaching its maximum at a rate of 25 millimeters per year. A second patch near the Ghuma and Bopal area in western Ahmedabad has also recorded a yearly sinking of 15 to 22 mm. Research discovered further sinking sites with a rate of 2 mm to 8 mm/year in Ahmedabad’s central-west and central-east sectors.

Few paid attention until Joshimath, a pilgrimage town nestled in the Himalayas, began to collapse earlier this year, even though a report on nature’s violation and a coming ecological disruption was presented in 1976. Ahmedabad appears to be moving in the same direction. In reality, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) used high-definition photos in its report on Gujarat, which was presented in 2021, to demonstrate that the state had lost 313 hectares of land to sea erosion and that erosion is directly causing land subsidence in 10 out of Gujarat’s 16 coastal districts. 

Mahesh Kumar Patel, associate professor of the Department of Geography at Gujarat University, told CFC that deglaciation due to global warming is causing the sea level to rise above the datum line worldwide. Coastal cities are on the verge of sinking due to sea level rise. 

Ahmedabad is in danger of sinking if the rising sea threatens the villages. The Institute of Seismology Research study by Rakesh Dumka found that Ahmedabad sinks 12 to 25 millimeters yearly due to its inhabitants drawing groundwater. In addition, it was noted that Gujarat State “is estimated to have gained an area of 208 hectares of land due to deposition of sediments, while the state lost an area of 313 hectares due to erosion” due to the rising sea level and climate change.

Correlation between groundwater depletion and land subsidence

A study by the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) suggests that there is a strong correlation between the depletion of groundwater and land sinking. According to the study, the industrial area of Vatva in the eastern part of Ahmedabad and Bhopal-Ghuma in the western region is sinking yearly at a rate of 25mm.

According to a study published by the Geocarto International Journal, the water wells of Bopal, Hazipur Garden, Ghuma, and Arbudanagar are depleting at 2 mm. The study stated that significant depletions have been from Sola and Shilaj, where water wells are subsiding at 9.8mm per year and 8.2mm per year, respectively. Experts say soil subsidence causes cracks, fissures, and micro-level topographic changes that severely destroy metropolitan infrastructure. Additionally, it is more problematic for the recently installed underground civil lines and concrete buildings on the city’s surface. The city’s south-eastern region and surrounding rural areas have experienced significant subsidence. In contrast, the west-central region has experienced just minor subsidence, according to ISR experts. At the same time, there has been low-level depletion in the city’s east and center.

Here’s a CFC Ground Zero Report from Ahmedabad on the subsidence:

For the report, CFC reached out to locals who said they are well aware of this phenomenon and have urged the administration to take steps to combat the issue of groundwater dependence of Ahmedabad for its water needs. 

Coastal Erosion in Gujarat 

Gujarat claims to have the longest coastline in the nation. The state’s 1,600-kilometer coastline has been mentioned in academic texts, official reports, and online search results. Gujarat’s coastline is, nevertheless, 1,945.60 km long, according to the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). The 537.5 km of coastline is deteriorating, regardless, due to climate change and rising sea levels. India has the highest level of erosion.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, reported in the Rajya Sabha that the NCCR studied the nation’s 6,632-km-long coastline from 1990 to 2018, finding that 2,318.31 of it, or 33.6 percent, was at risk of erosion, 26.9 was experiencing accretion, and 39.6 was stable.

The research “Shoreline Change Atlas of the Indian Coast: Gujarat, Diu & Daman,” according to Ratheesh Ramakrishnan, a contributing scientist at the ISRO Space Applications Centre, was presented in August 2021. It monitored changes from 2004 to 2006 and 2014 to 2016, demonstrating that Gujarat’s 1,052 km of coastline is constant, 110 km of that coastline is “cut into,” and 49 km of that coastline is fast blending into land. According to the paper, the primary causes are changing climate and rising sea levels. 

As the finest barrier against sea storms and erosion, mangroves, coral reefs, and lagoons are known for reflecting and absorbing much of the force of sea storms. Therefore, preserving these natural areas for environmental conservation and shore protection is crucial. Human activities reduce the degree of natural protection that alters protective landforms, such as removing beach sand, weakening coral reefs, destroying mangrove swamps, or bulldozing dunes. 

Building jetties, breakwaters, sea walls, artificial dunes, and other structures to interfere with natural coastal processes is occasionally successful. Still, it can also significantly increase coastal erosion in some circumstances. These have varying degrees of success.

Also Read:

Explained | What is Land Subsidence and its connection with a Joshimath-like crisis

India among nations facing highest threat from sea-level rise: WMO

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References:

1. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2021.1980618
2. https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/joshimath-1976-report-warned-that-village-was-on-ancient-landslide-human-activity-poses-danger-15610021.htm
3. https://vedas.sac.gov.in/vcms/static/atlas/slc/Shoreline_Change_Atlas_Vol-I.pdf
4. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rakesh-Dumka/publication/356833741_Bopal_Vatva_sinking_along_with_groundwater_levels_in_Ahmedabad/links/61af396468f38b79131bbd49/Bopal-Vatva-sinking-along-with-groundwater-levels-in-Ahmedabad.pdf?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19
5. https://youtu.be/7EcPjl1-QrM?si=zgxHVOdCyHaf0Ize
6. https://www.nccr.gov.in/sites/default/files/schangenew.pdf
7. https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/apr/11/gujarat-coastline-shrinks-due-to-climate-change-2564745.amp

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