A visit to Venice is moving up on many bucket lists now that flooding threatens to wash away every major monument. Saltwater is eroding landmarks and destroying local businesses. As residents grow more frustrated, the city’s population shrinks.
It’s best to make a visit now before the city is empty and underwater. But by the time that Venice sinks into the Adriatic Sea, many other cities will have already slipped away unnoticed.
The flooding problem is as far-reaching as the oceans themselves, and in a lot of cities, the rate of sinking quadruples Venice’s .08 inches per year.
Take a look at these 20 devastating photos of cities that will sink before Venice to find out what destinations are really at risk.
20 Manila, Philippines
This image shows the moment when crowds came out of their shelters after rains that left 30% of the city submerged in water had subsided. With floods reaching higher levels every time monsoon season hits, images like this one show what Manila could look like by this century’s end.
19 Alexandria, Egypt
As nearly 200 feet of coastline disappear every year in Alexandria, officials in Egypt continue to debate the seriousness of the issue, according to Reuters. Effects are already felt in diminishing crop yields and crumbling buildings. It’s not the fastest sinking city, but negligence might make it the first to vanish.
18 Mumbai, India
Unprecedented downpours that no longer obey the rules of the monsoon season could topple India’s economic capital, Mumbai. Buildings have been collapsing on the heads of residents meaning that there’s no shelter when the rain comes. If the monsoons don’t slow down, Mumbai will be an underwater ghost town by 2050.
17 Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok’s title of “Venice of the East” comes with the same negative consequences that its sister city faces: overflowing canals that flood its narrow streets. The difference is that Thailand’s capital is sinking at more than nine times Venice’s rate and causing greater damage to a much larger population.
16 Accra, Ghana
Crowding in Accra results in people moving into areas known to flood. With a large percentage of the urban population in Ghana living in poverty, recovering from such frequent destruction is impossible. Yet the more people that move in and the longer they stay, the faster the city sinks.
15 Dhaka, Bangladesh
As devastating as photos of Dhaka’s city center are, the biggest sufferers are on the outskirts in rice paddy fields. Flooding is destroying farmland. Farmers attempt to adapt by farming fish and building artificial islands, but they can’t stop the city from ending up underwater all on their own.
14 Hong Kong, China
Political unrest, economic decline, and several sinking cities have made it a difficult year for Hong Kong. Preventive measures were put in place long before the need for them arose. However, planners didn’t predict this intensity of flooding. Now the region’s largest city, also named Hong Kong, is at risk.
13 Business goes on as usual in Hong Kong
Social media was amazed by this photo of two Starbucks customers enjoying a nice sit down while a filthy current of water rushed in around them. The unlucky employee expected to work in these conditions also deserves mention. Citizens have clearly begun to adapt to life in a sinking city.
12 Chennai, India
There’s no more room for the crowded clusters of buildings that are spilling into Chennai’s wetlands and onto its river banks. When heavy rains come down in monsoon season, they can only settle in the city streets. Although drainage systems are in place, they’re no match for these intense floods.
11 Kolkata, India
Rising sea levels contribute to the destructive force of the cyclones that batter cities in the Bay of Bengal where Kolkata is located. In this photo taken just outside of the city, homes seem to have been built in the middle of a lake rather than the other way around.
10 Jakarta, Indonesia
At a startling rate of 6.7 inches per year, the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, is the fastest sinking city in the world. Conditions are worsening so quickly that the government plans to relocate the city’s 10 million residents to drier land in Borneo instead of attempting to salvage it.
9 Some citizens are up to their noses in Jakarta
Citizens can still wade through the waters of the worst floods, but that won’t be an option in 30 years. By then, Jakarta will be buried beneath its rivers. The cause is excessive groundwater extraction. Once it supported basic necessities like drinking and farming. Now it makes the land unlivable.
8 Havana, Cuba
The hit from Hurricane Irma that sent Cuba into chaos was a wake-up call. Cities are sinking faster than the country can manage and coastal capital Havana is one of the most vulnerable. Efforts to slow the descent have increased, but little can be done without the necessary funds.
7 Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands
This city built on a narrow strip of flat land has no protection against rising seas. Trees and two-story buildings are the only chance for escape. The people of Majuro Atoll are at the mercy of countries that haven’t considered the long distance effect of their huge carbon footprints.
6 Houston, United States
At least city officials in Houston are aware there is a problem. With the city dropping down 2 inches every year it’s hard to deny. Now the issue is deciding what to do about it. In the meantime, hurricanes like Harvey leave the city looking like the wasteland pictured above.
5 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Floodwaters rushing into the lowlands of Ho Chi Minh can’t stop the city’s busy population from getting on with life despite the dangers of sloshing through waters that reach this height. A potential sea dike could solve the problem, but experts fear it’ll only make things worse.
4 Malé, Maldives
Island nations like the Maldives face the most complete destruction if sea levels continue to rise. This picture of the nation’s capital, Malé, shows boat docks that float over sunken land instead of the sea. Unlike Indonesia where the capital can be moved, this isolated population has nowhere else to go.
3 Mexico City, Mexico
Exhausted lakes and rivers caused early Spanish settlers to seek out groundwater to support their citizens. As those citizens grew thirstier, the land sunk further into the empty space left behind. With the city sinking 3.2 inches every year, the current mayor is investing millions to find a solution.
2 Lagos, Nigeria
Residents in the impoverished floodplains of Lagos are advised to leave the sinking city. Those who can afford it can move into a new metropolis being built behind “The Great Wall of Lagos.” These people will be kept safe from storms while the rest of Lagos will continue to drown.
1 New Orleans, United States
Back when this city was just getting started, settlers made the mistake of sucking out groundwater and draining wetlands to make way for their new civilization. Centuries later, the city is filling back up. Half of it is already below sea level and getting 2 inches lower every year.