PSI and GNSS derived ground subsidence detection in the UNESCO Heritage City of Ahmedabad, Western India

Abstract

Presently, ground subsidence in urban areas is becoming a peril to the infrastructure and society. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the results, based on the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and groundwater in the ‘World Heritage City’ of Ahmedabad, a major metro city in western India. The PSI technique is applied to measure the ground subsidence using the Sentinel 1 A dataset for the period 2017 to 2020. The results reveal a subsidence, maximum up to the level of 25 mm/yr in the areas of the southeast and west parts of the city. Analysis derived from GNSS results indicates a significant amount of ground subsidence based on the 2009–2020 dataset. Groundwater data (1995–2019) were analyzed to identify factors likely to cause ground subsidence and the results are in close agreement with the PSI and GNSS results.