Modelling subsidence in the Hanoi City area, Vietnam
A study of land subsidence due to groundwater pumping in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, was conducted by collecting and analyzing data on the geology, hydrology, soil properties, and observed settlements. The city of Hanoi is underlain by sediments consisting of organic and inorganic clays, silt, peat, sand, and gravel. The pumping of groundwater causes consolidation of compressible aquitard layers. The water demand for the city of Hanoi is increasing with time. The present total rate of water pumping is 450 000 m3/day, and there is a proposal to increase the rate to 751 000 m3/day by the year 2010. This research program involved the modelling of seepage related to pumping along with a stress-deformation analysis. The effect of surface infiltration was also modelled. The settlements computed for parts of the city of Hanoi were compared with measurements of settlement in the city area. The simulation results appear to be in fairly good agreement with the measurement results. The study showed that subsidence due to groundwater pumping is a serious problem in the city of Hanoi. It is important to continue to measure settlements and compute possible deformations associated with actual rates of pumping.Key words: subsidence, settlement, groundwater pumping, stress-deformation modelling, seepage modelling.