Land Reclamation Project

Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or land fill.

In some jurisdictions, including parts of the United States, the term "reclamation" can refer to returning disturbed lands to an improved state. In Alberta, Canada, for example, reclamation is defined by the provincial government as "The process of reconverting disturbed land to its former or other productive uses." In Oceania, it is frequently referred to as land rehabilitation.

History

One of the earliest large-scale projects was the Beemster Polder in the Netherlands, realized in 1612 adding of land. In Hong Kong the Praya Reclamation Scheme added of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction. It was one of the most ambitious projects ever taken during the Colonial Hong Kong era.Bard, Solomon. 002(2002). Voices from the Past: Hong Kong 1842–1918. HK University press. Some 20% of land in the Tokyo Bay area has been reclaimed, most notably Odaiba artificial island. Le Portier, Monaco and Gibraltar are also expanding due to land reclamation. The city of Rio de Janeiro was largely built on reclaimed land, as was Wellington, New Zealand.

Methods

Land reclamation can be achieved by a number of different methods. The simplest method involves filling the area with large amounts of heavy rock and/or cement, then filling with clay and dirt until the desired height is reached. The process is called "infilling" and the material used to fill the space is generally called "infill". Draining of submerged wetlands is often used to reclaim land for agricultural use. Deep cement mixing is used typically in situations in which the material displaced by either dredging or draining may be contaminated and hence needs to be contained. Land dredging is also another method of land reclamation. It is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of a body of water. It is commonly used for maintaining reclaimed land masses as sedimentation, a natural process, fills channels and harbors.

Notable instances

Africa

* The Foreshore in Cape Town
* The Hassan II Mosque in Morocco is built on reclaimed land.
*The Eko Atlantic in Lagos, Nigeria.
*Gracefield Island in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

Asia

* The whole 3 km² business district of Cebu South Road Properties in Cebu City, Philippines
* Some of the coastline of Saadiyat Island, in the UAE. Used for commercial purposes.
* Much of the coastline of Mumbai, India. It took over 150 years to join the original Seven Islands of Bombay. These seven islands were lush, green, thickly wooded, and dotted with 22 hills, with the Arabian Sea washing through them at high tide. The original Isle of Bombay was only 24 km long and 4 km wide from Dongri to Malabar Hill (at its broadest point) and the other six were Colaba, Old Woman's Island, Mahim, Parel, Worli and Mazgaon. (See also Hornby Vellard).
* Much of the coastlines of Mainland China, Hong Kong, North Korea and South Korea. It is estimated that nearly 65% of tidal flats around the Yellow Sea have been reclaimed.
* Inland lowlands in the Yangtze valley, China, including the areas of important cities like Shanghai and Wuhan.
* Much of the coastline of Karachi, Pakistan.
* The shore of Jakarta Bay. Land is usually reclaimed to create new housing areas and real estate properties, for the rapidly expanding city of Jakarta. So far, the largest reclamation project in the city is the creation of Golf Island, north of Pantai Indah Kapuk.
* A part of the Hamad International Airport in Qatar, around .
* The entire island of The Pearl-Qatar situated in West Bay (Doha), Qatar.
* Haikou Bay, Hainan Province, China, where the west side of Haidian Island is being extended, and off the coast of Haikou, where new land for a marina is being created.
* The Cotai area of Macau, where many casinos are located
* Nagoya Centrair Airport, Japan
* Incheon International Airport, South Korea
* Beirut Central District, Lebanon
* The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen
* The shore of Manila Bay in the Philippines, especially along Metro Manila, has attracted major developments such as the Mall of Asia Complex, Entertainment City and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex.
* The city-state of Singapore, where land is in short supply, is also famous for its efforts on land reclamation.
* The Palm Islands, The World and hotel Burj al-Arab off Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
* The Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
* Hulhumalé Island, Maldives. It is one of the six divisions of Malé City.
* Giant Sea Wall Jakarta
* Colombo International Financial City, Sri Lanka
* Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan
* Forest City, an integrated residential and tourism district in Johor, Malaysia
* My Suva park (Fiji), a recreation park for the Greater Suva area

Europe

* Airport of Nice, France
* Large parts of the Netherlands
* Almost all of the Thames estuary including large parts of London
* Almost half of the microstate of Monaco
** Most of Fontvieille, Monaco
** Parts surrounding Port Hercules in La Condamine, Monaco
* Parts of Dublin, Ireland including the North Wall, East Wall, Grand Canal Dock and Bull Island
* Parts of Bryggen, Bergen, Norway including the Dreggekaien cruise terminal and other ship services
* Most of Belfast Harbour and areas of Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
* Parts of Saint Petersburg, Russia, such as the Marine Facade
* Helsinki (of which the major part of the city center is built on reclaimed land)
* Barceloneta area, Barcelona, in Spain
* The port of Zeebrugge in Belgium
* The southwestern residential area in Brest, Belarus
* Majority of left-bank and some right-bank residential areas of Kyiv were built on a reclaimed fens and floodplains of the Dnieper river.
* The airport peninsula, the industrial area of Cornigliano, the PSA container terminal and other parts of the port in Genoa, Italy
* The Fens in East Anglia
* Venice, Italy
* Rione Orsini, part of Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples
* A big part of Kavala, city in Greece
* Fucine Lake, Italy
* Waterfront Centre, St. Helier, Jersey
* Airports of Trabzon, Giresun and Rize
* Coastal parks and streets of Istanbul
* Yenikapı, Turkey
* Lake Copais, Greece
* Certain areas of Denmark

North America

* Notre Dame Island in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). In the Saint Lawrence River, 15 million tons of rock excavated from the Montreal Metro underground rail in 1965 to form an artificial island.
* The Chicago shoreline
* The Northwestern University Lakefill, part of the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
* Several neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts are the result of landfill.
* Battery Park City, Manhattan
* Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn
* Liberty State Park, Jersey City
* Leslie Street Spit, the downtown waterfront south of Front Street, and sections of the Toronto Islands in Toronto.
* Part of Nuns' Island in Montreal
*The Potter's Cay in Nassau, The Bahamas was connected to the island of New Providence
*The shore of Nassau, The Bahamas especially along East Bay street.
* Parts of New Orleans