In various regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, cracks in the Earth's surface are gradually increasing, changing the appearance of settlements. Scientists have warned that more than 3.2 million people now live near erosional channels. This is reported by the publication Earth, reports UNN.
Details
Researchers note that these erosional channels can rapidly deepen and widen, destroying entire neighborhoods in just a few rainy seasons.
The scientific paper, led by geographer Mathias Vanmarcke, highlights the scale and threat of this process.
Dozens of rapidly growing cities have been affected, and new data provide the clearest picture to date of how far these faults extend and at what rate they are spreading.
As the publication explains, the cracks are urban gullies and erosional channels formed by rainwater flows eroding soft soils. They cut through residential areas and interrupt transport routes.
Scientists have found that the length of such cracks exceeds 700 km. In the capital Kinshasa alone, hundreds of channels run through densely populated areas, forcing authorities to promptly repair roads and organize detours.
The collected data indicate that this is not an isolated case, but a continuous urban process that progresses after each heavy rain.
By 2023, about 2.7 million residents of the country lived within 100 meters of active erosional faults. Another approximately 500,000 people are in areas where, according to scientists' forecasts, erosion will begin to intensify within the next ten years if no measures are taken.
Moreover, from 2010 to 2023, the number of people at risk almost doubled due to rapid urban expansion. New buildings are often erected near already dangerous areas, which effectively lays the foundation for future problems in urban planning.
Recall
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