Japan’s artificial island airport is sinking into the sea
Last Updated on April 12, 2024 3:05 am
Japan’s Kansai International Airport started its journey in September 1994. It is the closest international airport to the country’s busy cities such as Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. The airport is built on two artificial islands in the middle of Osaka, 38 kilometers southwest of Osaka station.
But the two artificial islands on which the airport is built are gradually sinking under the sea. Even the airport is gradually moving away from the mainland.
Experts claim that more than 38 feet of the artificial island has already sunk. Experts also fear that by 2056 another 13 feet may sink to the sea floor.
Japan spent more than 13 lakh crore rupees to build the airport on two artificial islands. To build the two artificial islands, first five feet of soil was raised above sea level. 2.2 million pipes of 16 inch diameter are laid on it.
Mud and sand are mixed with the soil on the pipe to strengthen the soil base. The land on the two artificial islands off Osaka was like a wet sponge. When that land is completely dry, then the construction of the airport begins. In the 1960s, the Japanese government took steps to build this airport from the plan to build an airport near Kobe and Osaka, considering the trade between Tokyo and the Kansai area.
It was initially thought that the Itami International Airport would be rebuilt and expanded. But the cities of Itami and Toyonaka have so many high-rise buildings that it becomes difficult to find vacant land to build an airport. Even the residents started raising objections. They claimed that noise pollution will increase if the airport is built. So that plan fails.
The Japanese government decided to build two artificial islands on the surface of the sea.
The construction of the island started in 1987. Kansai International Airport is built on 2600 acres of land by artificially creating two islands. In 1990, the two artificial islands were connected by a three kilometer long bridge. Kansai International Airport is fully operational after four years of bridge construction.
On January 17, 1995, an earthquake occurred in Japan. The earthquake killed 6,434 people on the Japanese island of Honshu. There is also extensive damage. But Kansai International Airport was completely unscathed. Then the severe cyclone that hit the area in 1998 did not cause any damage to the airport.
However, the Kansai International Airport suffered a lot of damage in the cyclone of September 4, 2018. A situation arises due to the tidal surge caused by the cyclone, water enters the engines of some aircraft. Many passengers were stuck inside the airport. A tanker hit the bridge that connected the airport with the mainland and some parts of the bridge collapsed. Flights are closed for two days at the airport.
Kansai International Airport is fully operational a month after the typhoon. The work of the bridge was completed by April 8, 2019. According to the 2016 count, Kansai International Airport handled a total of 2.6 million passengers. At that time, Kansai Airport was ranked as the third busiest airport in Japan and the thirtieth busiest airport in Asia.
However, the Japanese government is worried about the constant sinking of the artificial island. So will this airport go under the sea in a few decades? Or will any other measures be taken as an alternative?