Skyscraper city slowly sinking
2003-10-06 13:27
Shanghai - China's largest and most populated city Shanghai is slowly sinking and government officials are getting worried, ordering a curb on the number of high-rise buildings which are partially blamed for the problem.
The country's most modernised city is home to nearly 16 million people and more than 3 000 18-storey plus buildings which are contributing to the metropolis sinking about 1.5cm a year, the China Daily said on Monday.
In the densely populated Lujiazhui financial district in Pudong, the subsidence was measured at 3cm last year, according to a survey by the Shanghai Geological Research Institute.
It showed that although over exploitation of underground water was the main cause of the sinking city, high-rises were also significantly contributing to the problem, the paper said.
According to municipal government spokesperson Jiang Lan, a plan on limiting the height of buildings and reducing the number of skyscrapers in favour of open public spaces will be discussed at an upcoming urban planning meeting.
Shanghai's first high-rise was built in 1934 - the 82m International Hotel.
About 650 skyscrapers were constructed in the 1980s and 2 000 more in the booming 1990s.
There are currently more than 100 buildings towering above 100m in the eastern city, including the 88-storey Jinmao Tower, China's tallest.