Geography RAFT project-Land supply and responses

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Reflections...

Change is inevitable. It cannot be avoided because of the growing demands for land. Land is an important factor for a strong country and nation because it supports life and any other activites. Land is needed for residence, commercial and industrial activities. Someone has to do something to make a change to create more space and land for businesses and residence. Moreover, the birth rate is increasing rapidly and more babies and newborn are being born everyday. The birth rates are rising and by 2050, the population of the world would be thrice or even four times the birth rates today! This might be a shocking news to behold but this is the truth, its is reality and there must be some courses of action for the rising demand of land. Land is a scarce resource and it should be used be preserved. Therefore, the governement have decided to increase the price per unit area of land. The price mechanism controls the allocation of land uses. Land is very valuable in cities like singapore as competition among different land uses is intense. As a result of the high land value, we usually find activities that can generate high income or profits in the city centre. In this case here, the people who stand to gain are the wealthier people as they can afford the expensive housing and residential estates near the city. The shop owners and shopkeepers in the shopping centres also stand to gain as the residential estates are near to their shops. The residents living near the shops can patronise them conveniently and easily. The governement also stands to gain as the profits are higher so more amount of taxes are paid to them.

For land clearance, there has to be some kind of sacrifice. There are signs of deforestation that can be found in some countries. Its is happen quickly. In 1850, there were nearly 20 million square kilometres of rainforest in the world but by 2005, only 9 to 12 million square kilometrees of rainforests remain. There are people who would stand to gain. The commercial logging companies would earn a lot. Furniture and paper shops and shops selling wood and timber would also gain as their profit would increase when their stocks increase. Cattle ranches would also tend to win as large areas of land are needed for the rearing of cattles. Herds of cattles are raised for beef and exported to many countries. Many species of plants and animals would be at the losing side as clearing the forests will have an impact on them. They would lose their natural habitat and would have nowhere to seek shelter and no food to fill their hunger. People that are responsible for this change would be the selfish humans who wants the land for themselves only. Besides, there would be more global warming and that means life would end faster and thus, all of us would be at the losing end.

For empoldering, the ones at the winning end would be the farmers. They would benefit most from this reclamation plan as they can control the water supply in their farms and didn't have to rely on the rain neither do they have to fight the floodings from the sea. The ones at the losing end are the dyke builders battling endlessly against the enroaching sea.

For draining swamps, those that benefit are the farmers as more land are made for farmland. They also have irrigation from the excess water in the reclaimed land. This way, their crops would have enough water and grow healthier.

For urban land use, the governement and house agents would gain as there are many space to build more buildings and thus, there are more units for people to buy and rent. Thus, their business would naturally increase. The ones at the losing end would be the residents living in HDB flats designed by the government as more land is needed for building other things. Therefore, the buildings are built at such a close range from each other that even a slight tinge of noise could be heard. Would you want to hear your neighbour singing in the middle of the night and affect your sleep? Would you want to hear your neighbours coughing and making disgusting noises when you have your breakfast? Would you want nasty and pungent smells of all sorts to drift in your living or study room when you have guests to entertain and when you are doing your homework? I am very sure that your replies would be negative for all the questions raised. Therefore, there are disadvantages of living near. Of course, there are also advantages. They would be more neighbours to care for you and be on the lookout for you when you are in trouble. If you fall ill and there is nobody at home, your neighbours would be there for you. If you suddenly got kidnapped or robbed, your neighbours would always be on the watch.

Therefore, I have concluded that change is inevitable. Land is scarce and we have to think of ways to improve the situation but although the change cannot be avoidable, we can always make slight modifications and changes to make the situation better. If there is a will, there is always a way! If all of us take a step back and brainstorm to improve the situation by a little, soon, the whole thing would be improving DRASTICALLY!

LIST OF VIDEOS FOR FURTHER VIEWING!!

Restoring Derelict Land

In Singapore, there were mining activities in the past, as seen in the disused granite quarries in Bukit Timah, Bukit Batok and Pulau Ubin. We can also imagine what a mining activity is like by looking at the digging done in a construction site. As excavations proceed at the site, the bare soil and rocks beneath the land surface resemble that of a quarry or a mine. When mining operations cease, restorations and works are necessary. This is becauserain would wash the soilheaps down the slope, causing more erosion along the way. A heavy downpour may even cause landslides. At times, mining pools are formed by rainwater gathering in the disused quarries.

DERELICT land can be made useful if its reclaimed. An example of derelict land is a disused quarry. The mining pools in such quarries can be:

i) filled up completely with non-toxic waste

ii) treated with acidic substances like gypsum

iii) replanted with vegetation to protect the soil from wind and rain to prevent furthur soil erosion

iv) filled with water to form lakes

Some mining pools that have been made into venues for recreational purposes are Taiping Lake in Perak, Malaysia and Little Guilin in Bukit Batok, Singapore. Most recently in 2006, the Selangor State Government in Malaysia is turning former mining pools into fishing venues.

Draining Swamps

Swamps were historically often drained to provide additional land for agriculture, and to reduce the threat of diseases born by swamp insects and similar animals. Swamps were generally seen as useless and even dangerous. This practice of swamp draining is nowadays seen as a destruction of a very valuable ecological habitat type of which large tracts have already disappeared in many countries.

A coastal swamp is always flooded whenever the tide rises. Similarly, swamps that are found inland become waterlogged whenever nearby rivers overflow their banks during the wet seasons. The role of wetlands and swamps is not limited to the retention of water. Wetlands act like natural sponges as they capture surface runoff water and bring it back to the surface slowly, preventingseriou water level control problems. They also limit soil erosion. The plants take root in them and absorb the effects of the wind and slow the current along the shore as well as sudden water level changes.

Dykes are built along the coast to keep the sea water out of the former swamps. Freshwater is brought in from a river through a network of canals. Excess water in the reclaimed land us removed by a system of drains. In this way, more land is made available for farmland. One example of land reclamation through draining swamps is the Tanjong Karang Land Reclamation Scheme in Selangor, Malaysia.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Empoldering

Advantages:
# Its ensures security to crops and livestock
# Better conditions for new crops (boro rice and betel leaves)
# Improved all year round road network leading to access to markets, new avenues of employment such as transport and higher enrollment/attendance in schools for improved education for the people which would in turn affect the improvement of the economy and the education level of the citizens.

Disadvantages:
> Restricted water flow in the internal channels leading to stagnant water and breeding grounds for mosquitoes and mozzies. Thus, dengue fever would then occur and will lead to the increase of people seeking medical help. Till then, the hospitals and clinics would not have enough medical equipment.
> Dry season scarcity of water, particularly for domestic use, and pollution of the little water that is available.
>Loss of capture fisheries.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Land reclamation in other countries

Empoldering

In some countries in the Netherlands, much of the land is below sea level. In order to drain the waterlogged land for agriculture and other purposes, people resort to land reclamation by building dykes. Dykes are raised embarkments. This method is called empoldering, and the land created is called polder. For more than 300 years, the Dutch have been turning marshlands, lakes and seas into farmlands through empoldering,

Empoldering refers to the creation of polders.

A polder is a piece of land lying in a low lying area reclaimed froma body of water by building dykes and by drainage.

Empoldering can be carried out in coastal and inland areas such as lakes.

Features of Polders

-Polders are enclosed by dykes to keep out the sea.

-To prevent the polders from being waterlogged, they are managed by drainage canals and pumps.

Dykes protect the polder from erosion.

Drainage canals carry away excess water from the polders.

Method of empoldering

1) A dyke is constructed around the area to be reclaimed to keep water from coming in. The water in the reclaimed area is replaced by freshwater.

2)Secondly, pumps and drainage canals are used to drain the area.

3)Thirdly, reeds are sown to help to soil absorb excess water from the soil.

4) Three years later, the reeds are burnt. Drainage pipes are constructed. Ploughs are used to mix the fertile ash into the soil.

5) After around 15 years, the polder can still be used for growing crops, building houses and constructing roads.

Careful land use planning is necessary before embarking on empoldering products as there is a need to have a balance between making the best use of land and causing the least harm to the environment.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Advantages And Disadvantages of Land reclamation

Land reclamation will definitely increase land area for a certain country. With more land, more buildings and infrastructure can be built, and also for other reasons. In Singapore, land reclamation is intense, and reclaimed land is everywhere. It is used to build Marina Bay, which is the location of Integrated Resorts, financial centers and the Singapore Flyer, a ferris wheel.
The world-famous Changi Airport is also built on reclaimed land. One of the seaports is also located on reclaimed land. The entire "East Coast Park", which consists of a park, a man-made beach and housing, is also situated on Singapore's largest scale reclaimed land. Reclaimed land is also present on neighboring islands for housing, industry and many more purposes.
Netherlands has also reclaimed a lot of land to prevent flooding. Netherlands is actually situated below water level, thus prone to flooding. These lands are called polders, where the land is also below water level. Almost 20% of its land is reclaimed land! As the saying goes, "God has created the world, but the Dutch created Netherlands".
Dubai reclaims both land and artificial islands. Examples are the Palm Islands, The World, The Universe and the island which Burj al-Arab is situated on. The Palm Islands are for beauty, as well as housing. The Palm Islands can be seen for space, and is definitely a spectacular view. The Palm Deira will be the largest man-made island when completed. This has definitely increased Dubai's land area, as well as its coastal perimeter. The Dubai Waterfront, situated beside Palm Jebel Ali, will be the largest waterfront and largest man-made development in the world.
Artificial islands, as mentioned before, are also part of land reclamation. The Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, and the Hong Kong International Airport are built on artificial islands off the coast of the main country. Artificial islands cost a bomb to build, and are very risky.
Of course, there are also many other examples, such as the Tokyo Bay area and Rio de Janeiro.
However, as there are advantages, there are also disadvantages too. Land reclamation can be damaging to corals and marine life. Corals are usually moved to another place when land is to be reclaimed. The corals might not be able to survive in that certain habitat, and thus die out. In some countries, where the project is large-scale, they do not even bother to re-plant the corals elsewhere, instead just reclaim the land on their habitat, causing them to die out immediately. Marine life, such as fishes, might not have enough food after the underwater plantations are destroyed due to reclamation of land. This applies to the food chain. The waters might also be polluted from the soil used to reclaim land, causing the fishes to die and blocking out sunlight, depriving the underwater plants of growth. Marine habitats are also destroyed, as mentioned earlier; therefore, the marine creatures would be forced to move to another new habitat. Some might not be able to adapt, and thus die out. Some would just die without even finding a new habitat, as they cannot move long distances in water. Of course, the reasons and examples look tempting to us humans, but marine life is life too! We should try to protect is as much as possible, instead of just focusing on the advantages.