CHENNAI: The core parts of Chennai, where most denizens have made their homes, are under threat as their buildings are at risk of damages due to land subsidence set-off by over-extraction of groundwater and nature of soil composition.

A new study published in Nature Sustainability journal on Tuesday, observed that in Chennai, the fastest subsidence rates surround flood plains of the Adyar River and city centre (core city) areas, including Valasaravakkam, Kodambakkam, Alandur and Tondiarpet.

While the study report attributed the widespread subsidence in the city centre can be attributed to the compaction of alluvium deposits from Holocene fluvial sediments, especially in the floodplain of the Adyar River (characterised by sandy clay, silt and sand), it pointed out that KK Nagar and Tondi

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