PS-InSAR Based Monitoring of Land Subsidence by Groundwater Extraction for Lahore Metropolitan City, Pakistan

Abstract

Groundwater dynamics caused by extraction and recharge are one of the primary causes of subsidence in the urban environment. Lahore is the second largest metropolitan city in Pakistan. The rapid expansion of this urban area due to high population density has increased the demand for groundwater to meet commercial and household needs. Land subsidence due to inadequate groundwater extraction has long been a concern in Lahore. This paper aims to present the persistent scatterer interferometry synthetic aperture radar (PS-InSAR) technique for monitoring the recent land subsidence in Lahore, based on the Sentinel-1 data obtained from January 2020 to December 2021. PS-InSAR techniques are very efficient and cost-effective, determining land subsidence and providing useful results. Areas of high groundwater discharge are prone to high subsidence of −110 mm, while the surroundings show an uplifting of +21 mm during the study period. The PS-InSAR study exposes the subsidence area in detail, particularly when the subsoil is characterized by alluvial and clay deposits and large building structures. This type of observation is quite satisfactory and similar to ground-based surface deformation pertinent to a high subsidence rate. Results will enable more effective urban planning, land infrastructure building, and risk assessment related to subsidence.