Open AccessLand Subsidence Hazard and Building Collapse Risk in the Coastal City of Lagos, West Africa
Author(s) -
Ohenhen L. O.,
Shirzaei M.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
earth's future
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.641
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2328-4277
DOI - 10.1029/2022ef003219
Subject(s) - subsidence , hazard , foundation (evidence) , forensic engineering , environmental planning , geography , engineering , geology , paleontology , chemistry , organic chemistry , archaeology , structural basin
Every year incidents of building collapse claim many lives and cause enormous financial losses around the world, which are often blamed on low‐quality materials, non‐compliance with standards, lack of oversight, and failure to enforce building codes. Here, we highlight the role of land subsidence in triggering unprecedented collapses in the city of Lagos, Nigeria, which has reported over 200 casualties during 152 building failures since 2005. We used acquisitions from radar satellites for 2018–2021 and provided data that link subsidence to foundation damage and high building failure risk in the region. We estimate that an area of 5–81 km 2 and 255–4,000 buildings are exposed to a high to very high risk of collapse for short‐term (10 years) to long‐term (75 years) periods. Differential land subsidence can trigger building collapse, and the data presented here will enable authorities to create adequate building codes and standards and devise mitigation strategies.