Human activities and natural causes will lead to the sinking of the surface of the Earth, which as per scientists would affect 635 million people. Asia will be the most affected region, the researchers said.
The study in Science Journal said that 19 per cent of the population (accounting for 21 per cent of the global GDP) would be affected by 2024 because of the sinking.
The researchers noted that ground water exploitation was also a major reason for the sinking. Lead researcher Gerardo Herrera Garcia and his team looked at the land sinking due to groundwater depletion at 200 locations in 34 countries. Spatial and statistical analyses methods used to determine the sinking. They analysed flooding and groundwater depletion caused by human activities in these regions. The model of study did not look at the existing mitigation measures. The study noted that global population and economic growth, worsened by droughts, would mostly increase land sinking and other issues in next decades.
The authors said that the government’s should give priority to formulating policies against land sinking subsidence, monitor high-risk areas, evaluate damage and go for cost-effective countermeasures.
