7 of 10 SINKING; Dhaka is sinking! Experts also blame movements of tectonic plates!

Indonesia SINKING:

/ Sea water overflow in Penjaringan. "This is different when levees breached some time ago, sea level reached 250 cm. It makes the roads and residential areas inundated rob," concluded Defika/

Subsidence and road collpase Past week:

Land along the 200 meters at Lasem Road, Surat, subsidence with a depth of about 4 local meter. Source

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. Though originally only 1.5 meters in diameter hole. Source

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lake where the water is lost in Gunungkidul.

JAKARTA - The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) Surono mention, the loss of water in the lake district Motoendro Bake, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, due to land subsidence lake bottom. "Water lake could have been discharged because of soil subsidence, and then there are the cavity and the water ran over there," Previously reported, the natural phenomenon of land subsidence occurred in Lake Motoendro Bake, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. In the lake which has a length of 30 meters wide and 15 meters before experienced subsidence, the water is full. After subsidence, water lake disappeared overnight. Source

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The condition of hundreds of refugees Cigudeg land subsidence in the district, Bogor regency, West Java, is now even more alarming. The refugees are still living in tents. Meanwhile, the events of the shifting ground in the village, every day, moving slowly. Based on the observation Metro TV at the site, the land in the township has shifted about 30 centimeters and one meter deep sinkhole. Residents worried about avalanche came suddenly. Source

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The road subsidence Minggu, Sunday, January 8 at around 21:00 pm. Some fault the way also happened at Jalan Muhtar Lutfi. The length of landslides is estimated that approximately three meters with a depth of eight meters. Initial allegations, landslides triggered by the condition of the soft soil layers at depths of more than six feet. Source

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Southern Cross Line of landslides caused by torrential rains eroded in the Village Tayem Ruas, Cilacap regency, Central Java. Location of the avalanche path occurred along the 25 meters with a depth of 20 meters. Source

Philippines SINKING:

/ Days of rain triggered by the tail-end of a cold front has resulted to flooding in various areas around Eastern Visayas, especially in the province of Leyte. The NDRRMC report revealed that overflowing waters are inundating barangay Luan in Dulag; Barangay Inayapan in Isabel, and five other barangays in the town of Merida, all in Leyte province as of press time Wednesday. /

Bangladesh SINKING:

/ Dhaka is sinking over half an inch a year on average. Experts also blame movements of tectonic plates (large rigid blocks) for land subsidence. Bangladesh is on the junction of Indian plate and Burma sub-plate. The Burma sub-plate is overriding the Indian plate, causing subsidence of Dhaka land mass. The subsidence due to motions of tectonic plates is much slower; it should not be more than 3 to 5 mm a year. But Dhaka's land mass is dropping by 13.91 millimetres a year, as the plate motion coincides with water extraction, says Prof Humayun. The geologist, who is also an earthquake expert, said that since the city is located in a quake-prone area, the land subsidence puts it in even greater danger. /

Pakistan SINKING:

/ Civil society demands floodwater drainage in Umerkot. Flood/rain water still standing in many areas of Umerkot and other districts of southern parts of Sindh. Zahida Detho of Sindh Rural Partners Organisation presented a list of areas, where floodwater was still standing. She said that the government had taken no step to drain out water; as a result, the people were unable to resume their life again. Detho said the first spell of heavy monsoon rains, which started from August 9, 2010, badly affected Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Badin and Sanghar districts. The breaches in the saline water drains, especially Left Bank Outfall Drain, played havoc in the area. The poor communities, especially low-caste Hindu farmers faced hardships. She said intensity of rains and destruction could be gauged from the fact that several areas were still inundated. /

Bangladesh:

Groundwater loss puts city at risk
Study says Dhaka subsiding 14mm a year

Dhaka is sinking over half an inch a year on average because of excessive extraction of groundwater and inadequate recharging of the vacuum it creates below the surface, found a recent study.

Prof Syed Humayun Akhter, a geology teacher at Dhaka University, conducted the study by analysing data from global positioning system (GPS) at the DU Earth Observatory Centre.

Examining the city's vertical velocity in 2004-2008, he found that the land mass here is going down quite faster now.

“When we extract groundwater, the empty spaces in the sponge like soil are filled with air until they get recharged with rainwater again,” said Prof Humayun.

Experts also blame movements of tectonic plates (large rigid blocks) for land subsidence.

Bangladesh is on the junction of Indian plate and Burma sub-plate. The Burma sub-plate is overriding the Indian plate, causing subsidence of Dhaka land mass.

The subsidence due to motions of tectonic plates is much slower; it should not be more than 3 to 5 mm a year. But Dhaka's land mass is dropping by 13.91 millimetres a year, as the plate motion coincides with water extraction, says Prof Humayun.

The geologist, who is also an earthquake expert, said that since the city is located in a quake-prone area, the land subsidence puts it in even greater danger.

Other geologists, too, have warned that the declining water table poses extreme hazards during earthquakes. It could lead to subsidence of the clay soil plate the capital is standing on.

There are chances that the vacuum created underground might be filled with brackish seawater, turning the area into a saline land, according to expert analysis.

Recently, a Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation research pointed to a fast depletion of groundwater level -- six metres in the past seven years. The water table has already dropped to 52 metres below mean sea level (MSL).

MSL is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface (such as the halfway point between the mean high tide and the mean low tide); used as a standard in reckoning land elevation.

Geologists and environmentalists on several occasions warned that an inadequate natural recharge and too much groundwater withdrawal might cause land subsidence what many cities in the world experienced earlier.

Against the backdrop of surface water pollution by industrial and household waste, 83 percent of the water supplied to about 15 million city dwellers comes from underground.

Experts also say the pressure on groundwater is increasing every year as water from rivers, canals, lakes and other water bodies have become polluted.

“Nowhere in the world authorities depend fully on groundwater,” said urban expert Professor Nazrul Islam and. “If we want to live in this city, we have to stop groundwater abuse.”

Water Supply Authorities in Dhaka supply around 1,560 million litres a day against a required 2,000 million litres. Of that, they lift around 1,250 million litres from underground.

Some new commercial water supply companies have mushroomed in the cities and they extract groundwater to make profit. Environmentalists condemn the act but nobody cares.

A study of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council shows with most of the city land rapidly coming under concrete cover, rainwater is being obstructed to enter the aquifer. The declination of groundwater occurs less in green and spacious areas.

Asked about remedies, Prof Syed Humayun Akhter said the wetlands and water bodies should be preserved for groundwater recharge.

"It is not possible for us to limit groundwater withdrawal as a full-scale treatment of surface water is not possible. So we should go for groundwater recharging," he said.

He feared that the continued fall of water table could eventually lead to desertification in and around Dhaka.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=217458

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Philippines:

Floods batter barangays in Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines — Days of rain triggered by the tail-end of a cold front has resulted to flooding in various areas around Eastern Visayas, especially in the province of Leyte, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Wednesday.

The NDRRMC report revealed that overflowing waters are inundating barangay Luan in Dulag; Barangay Inayapan in Isabel, and five other barangays in the town of Merida, all in Leyte province as of press time Wednesday.

Authorities have implemented preemptive evacuations in Barangay 56, Upper Nula Tula. Residents there were forced to transfer to Barangay 74 in Lower Nula Tula while those living in Barangay 100 in Tacloban City were also evacuated likewise due to flooding.

Sources said residents in those said areas were evacuated also because of the landslide threat as debris from surrounding hills started to fall down onto the residential areas.

In Ormoc City, also in the same province, barangay officials have been alerted to immediately conduct evacuation activities in case flood waters continues to rise. Barangay Liloan in this city has already been declared a danger zone, prompting residents to flee from at least one area, sitio Isla Noah.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/347723/floods-batter-barangays-leyte

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pakistan:

Civil society demands floodwater drainage in Umerkot

KARACHI: Civil society activists, lawyers and citizens have suggested the government to make urgent arrangements to pump out flood/rain water still standing in many areas of Umerkot and other districts of southern parts of Sindh.

They said hundreds of families were living in helpless conditions along dilapidated roadsides and under open sky without proper shelter and adequate food.

Speaking at a seminar on ‘Citizen Charter: Rights of rain and flood-affected people and responsibilities of government’, organised by Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) in Umerkot the other day, they pointed out that low-caste and marginalised farmer communities were under stress because landlords were forcing them to engage in work without paying them their share of crops. They are not safe at their homes and fields. Advocate Ali Hassan Chandio, who belongs to the rain/flood-affected village near Kunri town, said it was the government’s responsibility to rebuild villages, with permanent shelters, ensure water supply, adequate sanitation, provide school, basic health units and roads there. He said distributing Pakistan cards was not a solution to the huge losses faced by these communities.

Ishaq Mangrio, a renowned Sindhi folklore writer and journalist said those officials sitting in their respective offices couldn’t feel the pain experienced by the displaced families after the disaster hit them. Sharing his experience during his visit to different areas, Mangrio said despite tall claims of the government several villages and agriculture fields were still under water. People are not able to reach their abodes because there is no safe path. Those who reached their home faced diseases especially skin problems. People do not have access to potable water. They do not have food and safe clothes to face the biting cold.

He said the organisations that were working on the projects to rebuild shelter for the flood-affected people should involve the beneficiaries. “I know a large number of people do not have ownership rights of the land, where their homes are built and whenever village chieftains or landlords want they can displace them,” he said.

He said there were five natural drains, which used to carry flood water during the monsoon seasons but certain influential persons had occupied the natural courses of these drains and had constructed concrete buildings for commercial purposes, blocking natural flow of the water. This has caused disaster for hundreds of thousands of people. That is why even many roads in the Omerkot district were still disconnected. These drains should be restored to avoid any disaster in future, he added.

Zahida Detho of Sindh Rural Partners Organisation presented a list of areas, where floodwater was still standing. She said that the government had taken no step to drain out water; as a result, the people were unable to resume their life again. Those people living outside their villages in the makeshift camps and tents were exposed to danger and may face health challenges particularly this winter, she added. Detho said the first spell of heavy monsoon rains, which started from August 9, 2010, badly affected Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Badin and Sanghar districts. The breaches in the saline water drains, especially Left Bank Outfall Drain, played havoc in the area. The poor communities, especially low-caste Hindu farmers faced hardships. She said intensity of rains and destruction could be gauged from the fact that several areas were still inundated.

During the programme, some community women and men also shared their grievances and plight they are still facing. pr

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C01%5C12%5Cstor...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Indonesia:

Sea water overflow in Penjaringan

ALTITUDE sea water in Door Water Fish Market, North Jakarta Penjaringan (Jakut), yesterday exceeded the normal limit. which reached the normal limit of 205 cm from 180 cm. These conditions make some roads in Pluti Penjaringan, flooded.

This was due melubernya seawater. Plus, kemarin.Genangan torrential rains that occurred about 5 cm to 10 cm. "The water level at the Fish Market, exceeding the limit in Muara Angke normal.Ruas roads that were flooded, but many did not last long," said municipal government official picket Jakut Jaenudin Flood Command Post on Wednesday (11 / 1).

Fortunately he said, the sea level did not last long. Pkul Around 12:00 pm, puddle gradually decreased. "Typically the morning high tide occurs, so if it was already daylight receded back," beber Jaenudin.

In addition to flooded roads in the settlement of fishermen, a pool of sea water also spilled into the main road. As in Jalan and RE Martadinata Lodan. Stagnant water is also triggered by the rains, and lack of maximum drainage. "Ordinary arise if it rained a puddle, but it was not long," explained Jaenudin.

Meanwhile, heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, making a number of trees uprooted in Jakut. Namely in Gorontalo Road, Tanjung Priok, Bridge Enim and Marine Park. "Trees on a fall in the region, lucky there were no casualties," explains Jaenudin.

Related to heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, according to him there is not the first time. Monday night, even quite large. Until many trees uprooted.

Meanwhile, the deputy village chief Pluit, Penjaringan Defika, said the height of water in Door Water Fish Market, had reached 115 cm. Or far above normal. It made the roads near Muara Angke Fish Market flooded by about 5 cm.

"But the tide quickly, because there are elevated roads. Seain, channel works well until the water can flow, there is also a pump," explained Defika.

Although the water level reached 115 cm, does not cause extensive and long puddle. Puddle quickly subsided.

"This is different when levees breached some time ago, sea level reached 250 cm. It makes the roads and residential areas inundated rob," concluded Defika. (Dai)