To assist central and local governments of
member countries to achieve truly sustainable urban development,
the WMRS has conducted a series of "geology for urban planning"
projects. This has prompted a growing number of countries to
launch their own urban geology programmes using their own
in-house expertise.
Mobilization of already existing knowledge of
natural, i.e., geological conditions for the lasting benefit of
society is what the programme is aiming for. Authorities are
often unaware of this extremely valuable resource at their
disposal: their geological survey departments, with the
potential to generate huge financial savings and prevent untold
human suffering, especially among the urban poor.
Problems resulting from
Ignoring Urban Geological Conditions
There is no shortage of examples of "things-gone-wrong" in
cities as a result of the fact that geological conditions of the
land surface and subsurface have not been considered in urban
development planning. Cities like Bangkok, Jakarta or Manila for
example, all suffer from ground subsidence, largely the result
of over-exploitation of groundwater reserves in a geological
environment vulnerable to land subsidence. However, there are
other problems as well.
A number of urban geological phenomena with adverse impact
are listed below:
a) Ground subsidence (also called
"settling")
b) Differential settling (a form of
subsidence)
c) Sterilization of reserves (of
natural construction materials)
d) Soil and groundwater pollution
e) Undue costs of construction (due
to piling depth)
f) Unexpected ground collapse (due
to underground voids)
g) Earthquake hazard (based on to
local ground response)
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