A new study in Advancing Earth and Space Science unveils a concerning reality - Mexico City is gradually sinking 30 centimetres every year.

What’s at ‘stake’?

• Mexico Cityis one of the largest metropolises globally. It is the home to over 21 million people.
• This subsidence, which has persisted for over a century, has intensified in recent years, reaching a staggering half a metre annually.
• The potential for an additional descent of 30 metres is a looming threat, contingent on the absence of a severe water crisis.
  

  Similar shrinking patterns around the world
  Jakarta	Jakarta is the largest city and capital of Indonesia.  Jakarta is congested, polluted, prone to earthquakes, and rapidly sinking into the Java Sea. It has been described as the world’s most rapidly sinking city and it is estimated that one-third of the city could be submerged by 2050.
  Florida	Low-lying south Florida, at the front line of climate change in the US, will be swallowed as sea levels rise
  Islands in India	India has a fragile network of over 1,382 islands. However, several of these islands are under threat due to unseasonal cyclonic storms, sea erosion and new development projects. One such island in Lakshadweep has entirely disappeared from the map. Islands across the country that are under threat: Lakshadweep, Vaan island, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Ghoramara, Majuli island, Munroe Thuruthu
  Joshimath (Uttarkhand)	Joshimath, the ancient Uttarakhand town has become a cause of concern.  Though the town of Joshimath has been witnessing cracks emerging for the past two decades, things have escalated over a few days when the area was declared a disaster prone region.

  Who is the culprit?
  
  Read the full article at: https://iasscore.in/current-affairs/mexico-worlds-sinking-city