A Project Report

On

“TO STUDY THE RECLAIMATION OF LAND”

Submitted by

OMKAR AVINASH GADE

OMKAR AABASAHEB SALUNKHE

YOGESH SRIMANT PAWAR

AKASH SAGAR GAVTE

Guided By

PROF. A.S. DESAI

PROF. M. V. INGLE

PROF. S. BENDSURE

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING TSSM’S PADMABHOOSHAN VASANTDADAPATIL

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BAVDHAN, PUNE-21 SAVITRIBAI PHULE UNIVERSITY OF PUNE
2021-2022.

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 PADMABHOOSHAN VASANTDADA PATIL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLGY

This is to certify that the project

TO STUDY THE RECLAIMATION OF LAND

OMKAR AVINASH GADE

OMKAR ABASAHEB SALUNKHE

YOGESH SRIMANT PAWAR

AKASH SAGAR GAVTE

This is to certify that the following student have satisfactorily carried out their S.E. project work entitled “TO

STUDY THE RECLAIMATION OF LAND” This work is being submitted for the award of degree of Bachelor of

Civil Engineering. It is submitted in the partial fulfillment of the prescribed syllabus of Savitribai Phule Pune

University, Pune, for the academic year 2021 – 2022

PROF. S. BENDSURE

PROF. M.V INGLE

PROF. A.S. DESAI Dr. R. R. Sorate

Guide H. O. D. Civil

Dr. C. M. Sedani

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 Principal

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, we would like to thank to our guide of this project, Prof. A. S. DESAI , PROF. M. INGLE ,
PROF. BENDSURE for the valuable guidance and advice. He inspired us greatly to work in this project. His
willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. We also would like to thank him for showing us
some examples that related to the topic of our project. Apart from our efforts, the success of any project depends
largely on the encouragement and guidelines of many others. So, we take this opportunity to express our gratitude
to Prof. RAVIRAJ SORTE Head of Department of Civil Engineering, PADMABHOOSHAN
VASANTDADAPATIL College of Engineering bavdhan, Pune, who have been instrumental in the successful
completion of this project. The guidance and support received from all the members who contributed and who are
contributing to this project, was vital for the success of the project. I am grateful for their constant support and help.

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 INDEX

1. TITLE
2. AIM
3. INDEX
4. INTRODUCTION
5. OBEJCTIVES

6. LITERATURE REVIEW
7. METHODOLGY

8. OBSERVATIONS
9. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

10. FINAL OUTCOMES

11. CONCLUSION
12. REFERENCE

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 “AIM”

1. TO STUDY WHAT IS THE RECLAIMATION OF LAND

2. TO KNOW THE VARIOUS METHODS OF RECLAIMATION OF LAND

3. TO STUDY VARIOUS OBJECTIVE OF RECLAIMATION OF LAND

4. TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF RECLAIMATION OF LAND

5. TO STUDY THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RECLAIMATION

OF LAND

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 “INTRODUCTION”

4. INTRODUCTION

This first introductory chapter is meant to give a brief description of the research topic central in this
master thesis. This chapter also attempts to provide a rational background connecting historic
demographic and socioeconomic events to today’s modern urbanism. Going through this chapter should
enable the reader to understand the main concerns and the research question that is being presented in
this master’s thesis. Together with this rational, this chapter will also describe the goals and objectives this
master thesis is trying to accomplish. At the end of this chapter a theoretical framework will be provided to
explain how the research has been conducted and how the remainder of this thesis has been structured.

4.1 Background
The Neolithic Revolution, followed by the Urban Revolution (10.000 – 5.000 BCE) mirrors the ancient
transition in human sociology (Childe, 1950). This social transition represents the development of the pre-
civilized, hunters and gatherers into cultivated farmers (Bender, 1978; see also Marlowe, 2005; Skoglund et
al, 2002). In this transition, the hunters and gatheres replaced their shiffting migration patterns, into a
stable, more permanent existence. Instead of the unstable hunting culture, agriculture and cultivation of
animals became the new main source of living. This process, which relied on the domestication and
herding of wild plants and animals, occurred independently in seven or eight parts in the world (Bellwood,
2005). It is believed that the rise of today’s urban civilisation originates from the Neolithic Revolution,
which started in Mesopotamia around 7500 BCE (Jacobs, 2012) and, which is believed to be the first
justiviable source fundamental for urban growth. This advanced but still prematured form of cultivation of
early societies made it possible for families to reproduce. The social transition was the beginning of an era
which allowed for centralized living, production and trade (Bocquet, 2011). Aditionally, the new permanent
societies provided room for human knowledge and technology to grow. The increased human capital and
growth of resources led to physical and social infrastructural developments which, in turn, led to the
growth of these earliest states.
Nowadays, approximately 12.000 years later, the concentration of opportunity and prosperity in today’s
modern urbanism unprecedented. Over the last decade, large amounts of studies have been conducted,
investigating the mix and distribution of today’s developed urban society (Bellwood, 2005; see also
Bocquet, 2011; Angel et al, 2005). Interrelated factors, such as knowledge spillovers, technology, social-
and physical infrastructure, are largely responsible for the population growth and the growth of urban
settlements over the course of history. Since the foundation of the earliest states, the world population has
expanded exponentially, from a few million to a few billion.
The phenomenon of worldwide urbanization has become as stressing in its revolutionary implications for
the history of civilization as were the earlier agricultural and industrial revolutions (Biswas & Uitto, 1999).
Due to the latest industrial revolution, which took place between the 1950’s and the 1990’s, the relatively
poor inhabitants from the rural areas, found their way into the central agglomerations (Piel, 1997; see also
Ravalion et al, 2007); (Ravalion et al, 2007). Everywhere around the globe cities not only started to
accumulate a higher number of inhabitants, but also started to significantly expand in land cover (Angel et
al, 2005; see also Seto et al, 2002; Biello, 2012). The enormous growth of cities over the last couple of

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centuries has been evidently presented with modern technology, such as GIS, geographic information
systems. With this unprecedented rate of modern urbanization, health hazards and the degradation of
natural environment in and around urban agglomerations, have become serious issues on today’s political
agenda (WHO; UN HABITAT, 2010).
But despite these looming threatening for urban society and environmental health, in great detail explored
and investigated by the World Health Organization (WHO; UN HABITAT, 2010), urban agglomerations have
been and will be constantly growing. To blame are the obvious pulling characteristics and beneficiaries of
life in an urban environment over living in the rural areas. According to the United Nations (United Nations,
2012), the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2014) and The World Bank (The World
Bank, 2014) statistics, the urban population is expected to grow from 3.6 billion today, roughly half of the
entire population, to nearly 7 billion by 2050. These growth expectations raises questions concerning
liability, sustainability and future construction of urban settlements (Piel 1997; WHO, UN HABITAT, 2010).
In other words, what will be the future of urban development and urban planning in a century of further
urbanization and growing cities? How much influx of new inhabitants can today’s cities still absorb? And
what is the population cap size of cities with the growing demand for real estate into the future? Some of
these concerns relate themselves to the possible optimal size of urban algorithms, while others concern
themselves over the ideal urban society to live in. Implications of urban expansion on society and the
magnitude of environmental degradation have become important issues on today’s agenda of many
governmental agencies. Various organizations have presented their concern that the inevitable demand for
urban space will increase tensions for arable land and push boundaries of traditional city planning. Arable
land is getting scarce and with the expectations of urban population in the future, natural land resources
are running out (WHO; UN HABITAT, 2010).
But, while running out of particular set of natural resources, the use of water is a common pool resource.
While in essence, it has to be protected and nurtured for its continuous exploration, a fringe of units can
be harvested for current of future human benefits and necessities (Ostrom, 1990). Alternative solutions of
creating artificial “human made” land by reclaiming, could be a possible direct solution for modern
urbanism. Is it possible mankind has to take some of its nomadic background back in pursuit of new lands
in order to adjust to its current needs? And what social, environmental and economic implications does
land reclamation bring along with it? These questions are all main concerns being put forward and
discussed in this master’s thesis.

4.3 Goal setting and research questions

The overall objective of this master thesis is to develop an extensive literature overview on the topic of
land reclamation. This thesis will provide a comprehensive literature review to investigate and answer the
following research question:
This research has been developed out of two well known, counter responsive phenomena. On one side
there is the rising population growth and fast paced urbanization asking for land appropriate for urban
development and economic growth, while on the other hand, there are boundaries such as environmental
preservation, land regulations and geographical limitations which heavily constraints the supply of arable
land. Combining these two elements together illustrates the threat for the urban development into the
21st century: the natural land resources, suitable for urban development, are running out. While the two
forces of growth and limitations are working against each other, the challenge remains to maintain and
create high quality and well sustained urban agglomerations. The main challenge is to provide a high
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standard of living with all necessary amenities, while preventing urban growth to convert into urban
poverty as well as to preserve the ecological functionality of the environment around us (Haas, 2013).

4.4 Significance
It can be said with fairly high confidence that the unprecedented increase of the urban population from
the last half a century, will continue to grow even further into the 21st century. Even though the 21st
century has only just begun, a lot can be said already about the expected world population growth and the
threats it brings to people and landscape. The growing numbers of urban settler demand for more
residential, more commercial and more industrial real estate development (Haas, 2013). While the number
of urban population is increasing the tendency would also be that the size of urban areas is increasing. In
the context of this thesis this is only partially true. Yes, when urban population increases also the urban
size should increase. This is the trend as humankind has been experiencing it, but this trend is coming to an
end. Continues growth and continues development of urban areas have reached a point in where they get
involved with government land policies, zoning, land regulation and environmental limitations. The already
limited supply of arable land combined with aforementioned limitations, constraints the available land for
urban expansion (Conway & Lathrop, 2005). According to Conway and Lathrop (2005), further urbanization
and urban growth does not only threaten the quality of human health, but also the quality of the
environment and landscape around us. In order for our generation and future generations to enjoy the
same quality of live as we do, traditional urban planning and city planning is on the verge of a break
through. Sustainable solutions regarding urban planning, city development.

4.5 Methodology
This master’s thesis consists out of a deep, qualitative, integrative and contextual literature review. The
literature review is focused on population forecasts, urbanization and growth trends, followed by a careful
analyses of various land reclamation cases around the world. Though, the research will include a
quantitative data overview, focused on the statistics and numbers regarding the growth of the urban
population, this research is quantitative research. The latter qualitative part of this research consists of an
extensive literature review to combine and analyse what has been written already in this subject. The
amount of available literature directly written into the subject of land reclamation as a sustainable solution
for urban growth is not over excessive, though, there are many studies that touch the subject of land
reclamation, urban growth and rising urban hazards from other relevant perspectives. Because of the
extensive literature used, this study relies heavily on the validity and reliability of secondary data.
The collection of the quantitative data regarding urbanization and growth trends will be done by using the
database of United Nations, World Bank and Gapminder. These organizations have done their researches
into the growth of the world population and have provided a compressive overview of the statistics. These
organizations also hold information about the health hazards of growing cities in various reports. The main
goal is to gain information about the current state of urban population, the growth until 2050 and the
effect this growth has on the demand for land. This information is an essential part in this research paper
because it will magnify the importance and the need of finding sustainable solutions for urban growth into
the short future.
The chosen methods for collecting data from the abovementioned sources will provide a solid starting
ground for investigating the growth effect of the urban environment on the demand for space and
depletion of natural resources. While the qualitative study and the involvement of the case studies widens
the perspective and investigates the relevance of the proposed questions of the significance of land
reclamation, the quantitative data gathering gives possibilities for generalizations of the results. A
generalization for this research and problem statement has to be made to fit the purpose of this study. Not
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all urban settlements will face the challenges presented in this proposal, therefore the conclusion whether
land reclamation could be a sustainable solution for urban growth will be generalized to a threat due to
urbanization in general.
Even though an entrepreneurial thesis such as this one is far from perfect (due to lack of literature and
research in the field) there are various problems within this thesis which should be considered while
reading the results:
It is possible that there might be better ways for collecting the data that the author is not aware of. From
the literature study the conclusion was made though that the listed organization has the most extensive
and reliable databases regarding this issue of urban hazards and demographic growth.

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 “OBJECTIVE”

Land reclamation means creating land either by removing water from

muddy areas or raising the level of the land. With an increasing

demand for land, it can be a good solution for creating areas for

building, agriculture and other uses, but there are lots of things to

think about before going ahead.

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 “LITERATURE REVIEW”

6.1INTRODUCTION
The reclamation of land from surrounding waters is used in Singapore to expand the city-state’s limited
area of usable, natural land. Land reclamation is most simply done by adding material such as rocks, soil
and cement to an area of water; alternatively submerged wetlands or similar biomes can be drained. In
Singapore the former has been the most common method, with sand the predominant material used.
Land reclamation allows for increased development and urbanization and in addition to Singapore has
been similarly useful to Hong Kong and Macau. Each of these is a small coastal territory restrained by its
geographical boundaries, and thus traditionally limited by the ocean’s reach. The use of land reclamation
allows these territories to expand outwards by recovering land from the sea. At just 719 km2 (278 sq mi),
the entire country of Singapore is smaller than New York City. As such, the Singaporean government has
used land reclamation to supplement Singapore's available commercial, residential, industrial, and
governmental properties (military and official buildings). Land reclamation in Singapore also allows for the
preservation of local historic and cultural communities, as building pressures are reduced by the addition
of reclaimed land.[2] Land reclamation has been used in Singapore since the early 19th century, extensively
so in this last half-century in response to the city-state’s rapid economic growth. In 1960, Singapore was
home to fewer than two million people; that number had more than doubled by 2008, to almost four and a
half million people. To keep up with such an increase in population (as well as a concurrent surge in the
country’s economy and industrialization efforts), Singapore has increased its land mass by 22% since
independence in 1965, with land continuously being set aside for future use. Though Singapore’s native
population is no longer increasing as rapidly as it was in the mid-twentieth century, foreigners continue to
flood into the city as the economy thrives, resulting in a continued investment in land reclamation by the
government. The government thus plans to expand the city-state by an additional 7-8% by 2030
6.2 HISTORY
The early phases of land reclamation began not long after Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in what would
become modern Singapore in 1819. Raffles had come to the area with the goal of developing a British port
to rival that of the Dutch, and though contemporary Singapore was the ideal location for a harbor, it was at
the time only a small fishing village. Converting this village into a significant trading center required
reorganization and better utilization of the land. After some alterations to his original plans, Raffles decided
in 1822 that the commercial center of his new port should be located on the south bank of the Singapore
river, close to the river’s mouth. At that time, the south bank was largely uninhabited swamp, covered
in mangrove trees and sprinkled with creeks. Though Singapore’s first British Resident, William Fuqua,
expressed concerns about the cost and feasibility of reclaiming this land, it was eventually decided that the
project was achievable The southwest bank of the river was found to be prone to flooding, so Raffles
decided to dismantle a small hill (located in today’s Raffles place) and use the soil to raise and fill in the
low-lying areas that would otherwise be affected by flooding. The project began in the second half of 1822,
and was completed in three to four months (largely by Chinese, Malay, and Indian laborers). The land was
broken up into lots, which were sold off to commercial investors.
After this first land reclamation project, there were no significant alterations to Singapore’s geography until
1849, which brought the building of port facilities that became increasingly important after the
establishment of the British Strait settlement in 1826 and the opening of the Suzel Chahl in 1869, both of
which allowed for improved connections between the city-state and Europe.
After the turn of the century (particularly from 1919 to 1923), Singaporean land reclamation was primarily
the result of a need for increased public utilities (such as roads and railways) and military coastal
protection. Such development was interrupted by World War II, when the Japanese occupied
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Singapore and directed focus away from an improved Singapore and towards an extended Japanese
culture. There was thus a lull in industrialization in Singapore during this period, which continued
throughout the 1950s and early 1960s (during which time Singapore experienced extensive political
change) until the city-state’s participation in the founding of Malaysia in 1963. As part of Malaysia and
continuing after independence in 1965, Singapore benefitted from economic development programs,
which both enabled and required significant land reclamation projects. Rapidly increasing demand for
industrial, infrastructural, commercial, and residential land resulted in projects that reclaimed hundreds
of hector (acres) at a time. The Jurong Industrial Estate]] began development in the early 1960s to meet
industrial land needs, and by 1968 already housed 153 factories, with another 46 under construction. The
original landscape of the region was greatly changed and is now restricted to the areas around the Pandan
Reservoir and Sungei Pandan. Also in the early 1960s, Singapore’s central business district was extended
into land reclaimed from the sea. Post-war industrialization and land reclamation transformed Singapore’s

weak economy.
Modern Singapore's Marina Bay area, a development made possible through land reclamation
In 1981, Singapore Changi Airport opened after the clearing of roughly 2 km2 (0.8 sq. mi) of swampland and
the introduction of over 52,000,000 m3 (68,000,000 cu yd) of land- and sea fill. As Changi Airport maintains
a policy of continual development in preparation for the future, a third airport terminal was planned from
the beginning, and was opened on January 1, 2007.
By 1991, 10% of Singapore was reclaimed land. By that year, industrial land on Singapore’s mainland had
again grown scarce, and it was decided that seven islets south of Jurong would be merged to form one
large island, Jurong Island. By 2008, Singapore was one of the top three oil trading and refining hubs
globally. The necessary facilities for such an involvement in the oil industry require a very large amount of
space, and today, Singapore’s facilities are housed almost entirely on Jurong Island and the Jurong
Industrial Estates
In 1992, the Marina Centre and Marina South land reclamation projects were completed after their
commission in the late 1970s, encompassing 360 ha (890 acres) of waterfront development. These projects
involved the removal of the Telok Ayer Basin and Inner Roads; the mouth of the Singapore River was also
rerouted to flow into Marina Bay rather than directly into the sea. The Marina Bay reclamation projects
added significant waterside land adjacent to Singapore’s central business district, creating prime real
estate that is used for commercial, residential, hotel, and entertainment purposes today.
Singapore continues to develop and expand, with plans to expand the city's land area by an additional 7-
8% of reclaimed land by 2030.
6.3 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
Singapore’s industrialization (particularly in terms of coastal development) and land reclamation projects have resulted
in the extensive loss of marine habitats along the city-state’s shores. The majority of Singapore’s southern coast has
been altered through the process of land reclamation, as have large areas of the north-eastern coast. Many offshore
islands have been changed, often through the filling of waters between small islands in order to create cohesive
landmasses.

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Such development has led to the loss of 95% of Singapore’s mangroves. When Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore
in 1819, the land was largely mangrove swamp; today, mangrove cover accounts for less than 0.5% of Singapore’s
total land area. This loss has greatly diminished the beneficial effects of mangroves, which include protection
against erosion and reduction in organic pollution, both of which serve to ameliorate coastal water quality.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, an important conservation area in Singapore.

Singapore has also suffered an enormous loss in coral referred as the result of extensive land and coastal
development. Prior to the land reclamation of the last several decades, Singapore’s coral reefs covered an estimated
100 km2(39 sq. mi) By 2002, that number had dropped to 54 km2 (21 sq. mi). Estimates are that up to 60% of the
habitat is no longer sustainable. Since coral reef monitoring was first instigated in the late 1980s, a clear overall
decline in live coral cover has been noted, as has a decline in the depths at which corals thrive. Fortunately, though
there have been limited extinctions of local species, overall coral reef diversity has not diminished: the main loss has
instead been a general, relatively equal decrease in the population abundance of each species. Coral reefs are valued
for their work towards carbon sequestration and shore protection (particularly in the dispersal of wave energy), as well
as for their contributions to fisheries production, ecotourism, and scientific research.
Singapore has also seen the negative effects of industrialization impact several other coastal and marine habitats,
such as sea grass seabed, and seashores, all of which have suffered loss or degradation similar to that of the
mangroves and coral reefs.
Though much harm has been done to Singapore’s aquatic ecosystems as the result of land reclamation projects and
expansive industrialization, there has been more of an effort in recent years to accommodate and restore damaged
environments. Since the mid-1990s, more attention has been paid to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs), which
identify the potential ecological consequences of a given developmental venture as well as possible ways to lessen
the environmental harm. In the development of the Semakau Landfill, for example, an extensive EIA was carried out
after the project’s commission in 1999. The assessment found that coral reefs and mangroves within the allotted
350 ha (860 acres) project would be harmed, and as a result plans were put in place to reforest the mangroves
elsewhere, and sediment screens were installed to prevent silt from reaching reefs that would have otherwise been
negatively affected. EIAs are not, however, required by any legislature, and thus are not mandatory for land
reclamation projects. Yet the Singapore government has been increasingly open to public feedback regarding
increased sustainability in future land projects.
In terms of restoration efforts, nature activists and public authorities alike have been working more and more towards
the strengthening of biotic communities.[23] Though Singapore has seen the extinction of more than 28% of
native flora and fauna, it has also witnessed the introduction of foreign flora and fauna to its ecosystems, increasing
the country’s biodiversity.

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 “METHODOLGY”

7.1. NEED OF LAND RECLAIMATION

Land reclamation is a specific technologic way to maintain favourable conditions of lands, natural
resource that is critical for agriculture.

Land reclamation implies radical change of lands in the result of set of measures. Among various land
reclamation forms, irrigation and drainage are the most common.

Land clearance operations (brushwood clearing, levelling of mole hills, etc.), chemical reclamation
(liming and gypsum of soils), silvicultural reclamation, stabilization of loose sands, water and wind
erosion control, etc.

Land reclamation contributes to the maintenance and improvement of soil fertility, growth of crop
capacity, rise of farming sustainability, mitigation of the effect of climate and weather fluctuations on
production capacity. The scale of land reclamation expands; however, at the current stage the main
focus is on enhancing its efficiency.

Three key land reclamation objectives are discerned as follows:

 Improvement of the lands that are under adverse water regime conditions manifested in either
excess moisture or its shortage as compared to the quantity that is deemed sufficient for
efficient use of the area for economic purposes;
 Improvement of the lands that are under adverse physical and chemical properties of soil
(heavy clay and muddy soils, saline, with higher acidity, etc.);
 Improvement of the lands that are liable to damaging physical impacts, i.e. water and wind
erosion consisting in the formation of ravines, development of landslides, soil scattering, and so
on.
Depending on a concrete purpose, different types of reclamation are employed.

The reclamation oriented to remove excessive moisture from an area is called drainage reclamation. It
is used, in addition to agriculture, in public utility, industrial, and road construction, peat extraction,
when carrying out curative measures on swamp areas (wetlands), and other land development
activities.

The reclamation intended to eliminate water shortage in the soil of agricultural fields is referred to as
irrigation.

Reclamation of lands with adverse physical properties is aimed at improving soil aeration, as well
as increasing its porosity and permeability. To this effect, proper crop rotation practice is introduced,
sand is applied to muddy soil, and mole drainage is performed which contributes to air and water
permeability of deep soil layers.

Reclamation of lands with adverse chemical properties consists in removing harmful salts by leaching,
lowering soil acidity by applying lime, raising soil nutrient-supplying power by distributing fertilizers,
and introduction of proper crop rotation with higher ratio of grass.

Reclamation of lands liable to water and wind erosion generally includes the measures aimed at
reducing the quantity and lowering the rate of running down surface water, raising soil resistivity to

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erosion and dispersion. These measures based on using a wide set of reafforesting, agrotechnical, and
hydrotechnical means.

Under current conditions, in the majority of the areas subject to reclamation works, usually not one but
several of the above-considered reclamation types are carried out depending on a combination of
natural and economic conditions.

For example, forest belts are planted, crop rotation is introduced on irrigated fields, fertilizers are
applied, and leaching of saline land plots, etc. is carried out simultaneously with irrigation of the
territory. All this, especially at large scale of reclamation construction in our country, makes land
reclamation one of the major anthropogenic factors of transformation of nature as a whole and
hydrological regime in particular.

Land reclamation is performed with the view of improving soil productivity and keeping viable farming,
as well as ensuring guaranteed agricultural production based on maintaining and improving land
fertility, as well as creating necessary conditions for drawing of unused and low-yield lands into
agricultural production, formation of rational pattern of lands, integrated forest management, and
conservation, reproduction, and efficient use of natural resources

7.2 PROS AND CONS OF LAND RECLAIMATION

PROS OF LAND RECLAMATION
The reason for land reclamation and one of its advantages is the availability of more land for developmental purpose.
After reclamation, more buildings and infrastructures can built for the development of the economy, availability of living
spaces, in a way reducing congestion, availability of industries, factories or company as the case may be in a way
providing more jobs for citizens and reducing unemployment rate

CONS OF LAND RECLAMATION

Land reclamation though with its many benefits, has certain disadvantages. Land reclamation is associated with some
dangers, such as flooding and soil liquefaction. Reclaimed lands are expensive and can be damaging to corals and
marine life

7.3 METHODS OF LAND RECLAIMATION

Dry method
Hydraulic reclamation method
Rehandling method

Hydraulic filing method

There are two main ways to reclaim land – drying it out, or adding layers to it. The most suitable method will
depend on what the original land is like and what the final use of the land will be.

To increase the level of the land, earth can be taken from one place and moved to another, known as dry earth
movement. Earth can also be dredged from ‘borrow areas’ above or below the water level and moved to the site
in a process called hydraulic fill reclamation.
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Another method is sand spreading, in which land is drained and surrounded by dikes to keep the water out.
Sometimes, the level of the land can be raised too, using one or both of the above methods

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PUMPING INSIDE THE BUNDS

Reclamation can start from the coastal line and advance towards the sea. However, this type of reclamation may
lead to great loss of fill material because of wave and current action. Therefore, sometimes reclamation is
carried out within a protected area after a bund has been formed around the proposed reclamation area. In this
way, losses caused by wave and current action can be minimized.

For those of use wanting to reclaim our land and need guide lines on this, the first step to take is to write an
application letter requesting for permission to carry out land reclamation/ shoreline protection activities to the
Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development with an application fee of N50, 000 in form of a
bank draft.

An Environmental Impact Analysis Report document is also needed. The EIA report which should be prepared
by a qualified Marine Engineer or Scientist and approved at the EIA Department of the Lagos State Ministry of
Environment. This shall contain two main important reports:

 Hydrographic Survey Report. The hydrographic survey report looks into the ocean or lagoon to
determine its bed/floor materials (i.e the quantity of sand, mud, rock), the tide and water levels
 Bathymetric Survey Report of the proposed water area to be dredged for reclamation. The
Bathymetric Survey Report shows the depth of the water-bodies from the surface and what the
impact of dredging will be the immediate environment.

Immediately an approval is granted, the applicant will be required to pay the sum of N2million as administrative
fee to the Ministry of Waterfront and Infrastructure Development and N75 per cubic meter of sand needed for the
portion of land to be reclaimed.

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7.4 BEST OUT OF ALL METHODS

Agriculture

Agriculture was a driver of land reclamation before industrialization. In South China, farmers reclaimed paddy by
enclosing an area with a stone wall on the sea shore near a river mouth or river delta. The species of rice that are
grown on these grounds are more salt tolerant. Another use of such enclosed land is the creation of fish ponds. It is
commonly seen on the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong. These reclaimed areas also attract species of migrating
birds.
A related practice is the draining of swampy or seasonally submerged wetlands to convert them to farmland. While
this does not create new land exactly, it allows commercially productive use of land that would otherwise be restricted
to wildlife habitat. It is also an important method of mosquito control.
Even in the post-industrial age, there have been land reclamation projects intended for increasing available
agricultural land. For example, the village of Ogata in Akita, Japan, was established on land reclaimed from Lake
Hachirogata (Japan's second largest lake at the time) starting in 1957. By 1977, the amount of land reclaimed total
172.03 square kilometers (66.42 sq mi).

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7.5 WHY WOULD YOU SUGGEST THIS METHOD

Agriculture plays a chiefly role in economy as well as it is considered to be the backbone of economic system for
developing countries. For decades, agriculture has been related with the production of vital food crops. The Present
era of farming contains dairy, fruit, forestry, poultry beekeeping and arbitrary etc. However, it could be referred to as
promotion, processing, marketing, and distribution of crops and livestock products. It is also providing the employment
chances to huge percentage of the inhabitants.

The incoming sources of many peoples depends on the agriculture, about 70% population of directly rely with
agriculture for livelihood.

This gigantic ratio in this sector is as a result of none development of non-agricultural activities to absorb the fast-
growing population. Nevertheless, mostly populations of developed Mostly developing counties depends on
agriculture for their source of national income. While for developed countries it contributes as smallest ration to their
national income. countries do not rely on agriculture.

Various commodities as sugar, tea, rice, cotton, tobacco, coffee etc., that rely on agriculture are the major items to be
exports to the other countries. This practice is helpful to decrease countries critical balance of expenditures and
saving foreign exchange. This volume may be well used to import other vital inputs, machinery, raw-material, and
other infrastructure that is supportive for country’s monetary development. The advanced of agriculture sector that
share to marketable surplice. Most of population related with manufacturing, mining that depends on food production
that might meet from the nation’s marketable surplus.

As agricultural sector development takes place, production increases and this leads to expansion of marketable
surplus. This may be exported to other nations. To enrich the economy through the introduction of farm
mechanization played effective role in agriculture sector. With the use of modern machinery in agricultural lands
causes more and high-quality production of crops. So, the provision of raw material to the industries increases. One of
another roles of this department is in the development of agriculture sector. The government takes action to enhance
the crops productivity by providing the credit facilities to the farmers at low-interest amounts. Therefore, the
government established the ZTBL for the provision of credit facilities. Animal husbandry or livestock farming has
highest involvement to economic growth. The annual protein per capita is 18 kg of meat and 155 litters of milk.

The advancement of nanotechnology is helping the high yielding varieties with high-quality goods. High-quality
products result in a high rate of return to the farmers and the per capita income of farmers increases. An increase in
per capita income shows the growth of the economy toward development

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 Expected outcomes

1.ABLE TO KNOW THE PROCESS OF RECLAIMATION

2.ABLE TO STUDY THE VARIOUS ADVANTAGES OF LAND RECLAIMATION

3.ABLE TO STUDY THE DISADVANTAGES OF LAND RECLAIMATION

4.ABLE TO STUDY THE VARIUOS EFFECTS OF LAND RECLAIMATION

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 CONCLUSIONS

This master’s thesis has been trying to determine whether or not land reclamation could become a feasible
solution for the growing urban society and the scarcity of developable land. Statistical growth patterns and
various comparative case studies were conducted to investigate this central aim. In this chapter an answer
will be formulated on the sub questions formulated at the beginning of this thesis.

8.1 Population growth and its implications

Despite the fact that on average less children are being born and calming messages that the population
issue has basically solved itself, the world population is continuously growing. It is expected that until 2030
the world population will expand its current 7.2 billion inhabitants to 8.4 billion. Before the half of the 21
centuries, it is expected the we will see another 2.8 billion people being added to the total population.
Overall, this comes down to a rough 55 per cent population increase within the next 40 years, based on
today’s numbers and estimates of the United Nations, The World Bank and the Gap minder foundation.
The majority of this growth is expected to take place in the developing world and additionally an
worldwide urbanization increase of roughly 20 per cent is expected. Around mid-century it is estimated
that approximately 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in urban environments. This
translates to an absolute increase of roughly 3.6 billion urban citizen today, to nearly 8 billion urban citizen
by mid-century. This increase is truly unprecedented and will raise major challenges for future urban city
planning. Especially coastal areas, which traditionally hold around 50 per cent of the total population face
major challenges. The geographical limitations and scarcity of land in these coastal areas pushes the
extension of administrative city boundaries sea inward, making land reclamation a popular tool for these
governments. Nevertheless, this expected growth and the increased popularity of land reclamation
seriously endangers the remaining natural wetlands.

8.2 Land reclamation and its implications

With the growing, anticipated world population and the scarcity of land resources in coastal urban areas,
conduction of large-scale reclamation in the future seems to be inevitable. Simultaneously, the task to
preserve and nurture the marine and natural environment is becoming severely endangered. As discussed
in the case studies, the environmental loss, in turn, can have adverse social, political and economic
implications. The global urban modernization, imposed by today’s modern technology, asks for further
reaching, more controlled and innovative planning mechanisms. There is a desperate cry for planning
mechanism that could solve the looming threat of worldwide environmental loss.
While financial resources to fund reclamation projects seem not to be the problem, there a plenty of
objections of those who once praised urban modernism. These parties find support in their objections from
the public and environmental agencies. The objections state that, amongst other things, urban modernism
is environmentally unsustainable. Due to its negative environmental implications, land reclamation
receives large amounts of negative social support. Nevertheless, modern urbanization today is directly
linked to innovative new master planning. These master planning processes show a clear trend were
governments move from “government” to “governance”, allowing for influential input for the society.
Mainly due to the absence of appropriate coordination and planning in historic reclamation projects,
population growth has led to an overuse and abuse of natural resources. Additionally, the urbanization
growth often outpaces the government’s ability to consider environmental implications thoroughly. As a

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result, natural resources are getting rapidly depleted and sustainability is being compromised. Over the
total run of history, approximately 65 per cent of the world’s wetlands have been in fractioned, polluted,
destroyed, altered or lost by human activities. While the population magnitude living in coastal areas is
currently reaching over 50 per cent and economies are desperately looking for space to sustain economic
development, more and more wetlands are expected to meet the same fate of being converted for urban
development or economic, industrial gains. The lack of proper urban and regional planning will have far-
reaching the consequences effects on land use, climate change and the world’s economy at large.
Urbanization and future land reclamation provides opportunities at one side but it also enables a lot of
threats on the other. A trade-off mechanism between socioeconomic and socio-environmental benefits
seems to be present within today’s reclamation proposals.
Though, over the years a clear dived has been developed separating those who praise land reclamation
and those who oppose it. With today’s modern urbanism and the rise of governance this decades long
confrontation is coming to an end. Economically land reclamation has been feasible for decades. The
developments within the political and governmental are now also opening up perspectives for social and
environmental feasibility. Land reclamation, if properly managed and gradually applied, could become a
valuable solution to solve the urban related space demand issues, now and further into the 21st century.

8.3 Political recommendations

Nowadays, the tradeoff between socioeconomic gains at one side and the socio-environmental
preservation at the other, is becoming more and more important. Over the last few decades, governmental
policies have preferred socioeconomic gains at the cost ofenvironmental loss. Therefore governmental
agencies and political organizations, in particular around coastal urbanizing areas, play an important role in
today’s sustainability question. As seen from the case studies, the political policies and aspirations of the
government have a significant impact on the feasibility of large-scale land reclamation. In order to sustain
economic growth and to preserve the fragile environment with land reclamation, integrated collaboration
between stakeholders, initiated by the government is needed. Governments, especially in coastal areas,
have to establish a balance through regulating and controlling urban growth. Together with increased
public participation and involvement with various other stakeholders (investors, constructors, non-
governmental agencies, environmental organizations, professionals and etc), a starting ground could be
established where knowledge spillovers occur and stakeholders work towards realizing mutual interests.
The government, with its urban planning authority and legislative power, should be the lead stakeholder to
initiate and to control sustainable land reclamation into the future.

8.4 Further research

This study has made an attempt to put large scale land reclamation into a sustainable feasible perspective.
Even though the conclusion of this study has shown a sustainable feasibility of large-scale land
reclamation, further research into this area is recommended. The magnitude of this research area is large
and has to cover several dimensions. Some dimensions have not been covered in this research but could
have a significant impact on the social feasibility. Climate change and the rising sea water level for
example, forms a direct threat to coastal urbanization and land reclamation projects. Further research is
needed into the relation between climate change and the threat for coastal urbanization. Additionally, in
this study, only four case studies have been used. Further research into a various other land reclamation
site is recommended in order to establish a wider holistic feasibility perspective. And final, this research is
based on intensive literature review, therefore it is recommended to connect the theory to the real world.
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Establishing the connection between theory and practice, by conducting interviews with a majority of
stakeholders, could provide new useful information that could significantly increase the relevance of this to

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 REFERENCES

National Geographic Channel

Construction World 2015
Websites
www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.encyclopedia.com
www.slideshare.com

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 THANK Y0U

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