Is Mexico City Disappearing???

Don't adjust your computer: this building is just one of many
that is tilting in Mexico City due the sinking aquifer under the
city. Photo from: (http://mishmaus.com/usran-posao/)

     Mexico City is the world's third largest city with over 18 million people and it is sinking at an average of 2.5 inches a year.
     Why is it sinking? The almost 20 million people living there are sucking up the water from the aquifer beneath the land so quickly that as the aquifer drops, so does the ground above it.
     About 70% of the water supply comes from the aquifer below the city. The water is being used so quickly that it cannot be replaced, which is continuing to weaken the foundation and the aquifer has become nothing more than a dried, muddy, lake bed.
     The city was built on the middle of Lake Texcoco on a series of islands. As the city grew, engineers made artificial expansions along with a large network of canals which roads were built on. The lake was eventually dried out and the city continued expanding using the lake bed as the foundation.
     Tim Johnson from the Seattle Times claims, "Walk into any of hundreds of homes or buildings in the huge capital, Mexico City, and you feel immediately that something is amiss. The buildings tilt." (1)
     "The notion that Mexico City is sinking is not new, but the extent to which it is sinking is causing alarm among experts. Experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) say, 'the city fissures are generating alarm among the population and even cause significant damage to buildings and (affecting provision of) public services." (2)
     "According to engineers, to prevent the city from sinking further it must stop pumping water from the aquifers or replenish the supply. This will help stabilize the foundation, but it will not raise it."
(2)
     The sinking city is causing a lot more than just leaning buildings too. Enrique Santo Villa, an engineer who is experienced at propping up and bolstering churches, monuments, and other tilting structures said, "When a building tilts more than 1 degree, then I think it begins to become very uncomfortable." (1)
     If a building is 100 feet high and the building is tilted at 1 foot, it is noticable by those who live in it. "'One notices it while laying in bed...washing the dishes and seeing the tap water flow oddly...tables aren't stable. Liquids don't look right when they are in big containers...Window panes can break. Doors don't close right,' Santoyo said." (1)
     There are also buckling sidewalks, expensive subway line and road repairs, gas lines and electrical lines are also at risk or rupturing and causing major health concerns. Some people even feel vertigo due to the tilt in the city.
     How would you stop the city from sinking more, yet provide water for the city? Post your ideas and comments here!


      Works Cited
     (1) Johnson, Tim "Mexico City copes with that sinking feeling." The Seattle Times. Web.        
         24 September 2011, Seattle, WA.
 (http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2016310507_mexicosinking25.html)
     (2) Unknown Author "Mexico City's sinking is worsening." Homeland Security News Wire. Web.
        21 January 2011

(http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/mexico-citys-sinking-worsening)