A major international airport in THIS country is sinking into the sea, reason will leave you shocked, it is located in...

The Kansai International Airport (KIX), one of the most celebrated engineering marvels of Japan, is fighting a battle with its very surroundings. The airport, built on several artificial islands in Osaka Bay and lauded for its architectural might, is slowly sinking into the sea it stands on. Inaugurated over three decades ago in 1994, KIX has since turned into a key international airport, connecting more than 30 million (3 crore) passengers to 91 cities across over two dozen countries. But the structure's future seems dim. Let's find out more in this article.

How much has it sunken?
According to a report by The South China Morning Post (SCMP), the Kansai airport's original island has sunk 12.5 feet since its opening. The second island has fared way worse, going down a staggering 57 feet since landfill work began.
The airport's operator says that settlement was always expected to some extent, and that recent data shows the rate of plummeting is slowing down. "It is sinking by less than 10 centimeter a year now, but that is slowing and manageable," Hiroo Ichikawa, professor emeritus of urban planning and policy at Meiji University, said, as per the SCMP report.

How bad is the situation?
The vulnerability of the structure was widely exposed in 2018, when Typhoon Jebi -- the strongest storm to hit Japan in 25 years -- led to a complete shutdown of KIX. That typhoon severely flooded the airport, disrupting power, swamping the disaster response centre and electric substation, and leaving thousands of people stranded without power for over a day.

How much has been spent?
The ambitious project is constructed atop 20 meters of soft alluvial clay and uses 2.2 million (22 lakh) vertical pipe drains and massive landfill to stabilise the ground. Authorities have spent a hefty amount -- above of USD 150 million -- to raise sea walls around the islands in a bid to combat the threat of encroaching water.