Beijing is consuming so much water it's causing the city to sink at an extreme rate.
北京正在大量消耗地下水资源,导致城市以极端的速度下沉。
A new study using satellite imagery and radar technology confirmed the ground level is sinking each year by roughly 4 inches.
一项使用卫星影像和雷达技术的新研究证实,地平面每年正在下沉约4英寸。
Beijing doesn't have enough water to begin with. It's the fifth most water stressed city in the world. Meanwhile, two-thirds of the water the city uses comes from the ground.
首先,北京没有足够的水资源。它是世界第五大用水紧张城市。同时,三分之二的城市用水来自地面。
According to The Guardian, more than 10,000 wells have been drilled in the Beijing area, and when water is used from them, the nearby soil condenses and hardens.
据卫报报道,在北京地区已开凿一万多口水井,当使用水时附近的土壤凝结硬化。
The study's authors warned if ground water continues to be pumped at excessive rates, the city's 20 million citizens could be in danger. The central business district is sinking particularly fast, and the researchers predict trains could be affected.
该研究的作者警告称,如果地下水继续过量抽取,城市的2,000万公民可能处于危险之中。中央商业区下沉的特别快,研究人员预测火车可能会受到影响。
More than 40 other Chinese cities have been found to be sinking as well. Shanghai, China's most populated city, has dropped more than 6 feet since 1921.
同样,超过40个其它中国城市也被发现在下沉。在中国人口最多的城市上海,自1921以来已经下降超过6英尺。
The huge expansion of skyscrapers and other heavy buildings in China has made the sinking worse.
中国摩天大楼和其它重型建筑的大量扩建使下沉更为严重。
Beyond China, Mexico City has sunk 32 feet in the last 60 years because of similar water consumption.
除中国之外,墨西哥市在过去的60年里因类似的水消耗下沉32英尺。
Both Mexico City and Jakarta, Indonesia, are sinking at a rate of roughly 11 inches per year.
墨西哥和印度尼西亚的雅加达每年都以大约11英寸的速度下沉。
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