Effectiveness of Land Reclamation

Reclamation is sometimes seen as cheaper in terms of land development because all

projects will be built on new land, and can be freely designed. Inland development can be
more expensive due to the numerous permits that are needed to be obtained and
bureaucratic red tape one has to go through (lis pendens, landgrabbing, resettling informal
settlers) before any development can be done. Reclaimed lands can also act as natural
barriers as wave breakers against tsunamis and storm surges (Palafox, 2014).
The sustainability of land reclamation contains the implementation of a prototype
for the cover of a landfill site. The highly innovative co-natural technology represents the
basis of the prototype, consists of: establishing dense woodland as a water barrier,
constructing wetland for leachate treatment (often applied to landfill, both within the
waste management industry and outside, that it is easy to forget that leachate is the term
used for any liquid produced by the action of leaching. Leaching occurs when water
percolates through any permeable material.) and building an irrigation system for water
reuse. The innovative solution will significantly reduce the risk of surface and ground water
contamination and therefore the risk to health. At the same time it will reduce the emission
of gases responsible for the greenhouse effect. Through quicker stabilization of the landfill
site, aesthetic and landscape reclamation, creating new ecosystem, it will enable rapid
second use of revitalized site and it will render possible new ways of public use and
increase public acceptance of landfills. Main beneficiaries are the local inhabitants;
responsible municipalities and public authorities; companies able to construct the proposed
solution (LIMNOS LTD, Company For Applied Ecology, University of Ljubljana: Faculty
For Chemistry And Chemical Technology, 2013).

Most completed, on-going, and proposed land reclamation development projects

today have been done to address the impending urban expansion of cities all around the

world or to increase the citys economic, commercial, and financial activity. However,
development is not worthy of the name unless it is spread evenly, like butter on a piece of
bread. The legacy that full reclamation leaves behind in terms of lost opportunities and the
heavy burden that the future generation will have to carry should be carefully studied. The
resources tied up to reclamation could be used to different competing needs elsewhere in
Metro Manila. A properly planned, designed, engineered, and implemented reclamation
area can do the country a lot of good if done properly in the right place, at the right time, at
the right land-use type and density and correct planning and development (Palafox, 2014).
Environmental assessments are a crucial tool in the process of land reclamation.
With limited land available to use, and prime land often destroyed by the processes of
mineral extraction, oil and gas activities, logging, and other destructive activities, it makes
sense to revitalize land we already have available. Property owners dont have to invest in
new properties and can help the entire planet by increasing the useable and healthy land
available. As we discover more about the impacts various activities have had on our habitat
and try to reverse them, land reclamation is the way of the future (Meyers, 2013).
Land reclamation will definitely increase land area for a certain country. More
lands, more buildings and better infrastructure can be built (Nayakage, 2012).
Essentially, some establishment like vegetation can be of help: long term
stability of the land surface which ensures that there is no surface erosion by water or wind;
reduction of leaching throughputs, lessening the amounts of potentially toxic elements
released into local water courses and to groundwaters; development of a vegetated
landscape or ecosystem in harmony with the surrounding environment; and with some
positive value in an aesthetic, productivity, or nature conservation context (Johnson et al,
1994).

Sources :
https://www.feedingknowledge.net/home/-/bsdp/10671/en_GB

http://www.manilatimes.net/reclamation-pros-cons/115249/
http://greenbuildingelements.com/2013/04/18/sustainable-development-the-first-step-landreclamation-is-environmental-assessment/
http://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1/2389/TafiT0806.pdf?
sequence=1