1.

Reasons for increasing demand of land:

a. Increasing global population:

- Earth’s population has risen rapidly over the last 150 years from around
1 billion to about 6.5 billion.
- More land is required for housing, industry, transportation and
recreation.

b. Expansion of economies (industry and trade) across the earth:

i) More resources such as water, forests and minerals are required. This
activities require more land.
ii) Towns and cities also grow to accommodate people and their
activities which also require more land.

2. Increasing the amount of available land:

a) Clearing of forested land.

-Mostly cleared for agriculture.
-Also for wood collection for heating, cooking and construction.
-Forest also cleared for mining and damming of rivers.

b) Land reclamation:
i) Land fill
ii) Restoration of derelict land
iii) Draining of swamps
iv) Emplodering

Landfill Process:
- Dykes are built to enclose the area to be reclaimed.
- (Elaboration) The dykes prevent water from flooding the area to be reclaimed.
- Enclosed area is filled with sand, soil, rocks or treated waste.
- The new land is stabilized by being compacted by machines or by planting deep-rooted
trees or grasses.
- The land can be developed after the land has settled.

Restoration of derelict land:

What is derelict land? – Land that has been damaged and cannot be used anymore.

How is it damaged?
- From natural events such as floods and fires.
- By excessive deforestation which causes soil erosion.
- By overgrazing which can cause soil erosion.
- Through contamination by chemical waste from mining.
How is it reclaimed?
- By reforestation to stop the soil erosion.
- By chemically treating the soil and water to remove harmful chemicals.

Draining of swamps:
• Drainage channels are built to drain water from swamps.
• Land is reclaimed for farming, recreation, industry and settlements.
• They are regarded as important sanctuaries for bird, fish and other life forms.

Emplodering Process:
- Dykes are built to enclose the area of lake/sea to be reclaimed.
- (Elaboration) These dykes are made of rock or concrete.
- The water in the enclosed area is pumped out.
- (Elaboration) The reclaimed land is called a polder.
- Coarse grass and reeds are grown to dry out the soil.
- The dry land is sub-divided into farmland and towns.
- Continuous pumping and draining of water has to be carried out.

3. Maximising existing land uses

(ie. Making better use of land we already have):

AGRICULTURE:
a) Improved technology and farming methods:
- More effective fertilizers, trace elements to counter soil deficiencies,
- specially developed seeds and animals to withstand drought and pests.

b) Irrigation: the artificial watering of land to grow crops.

• Dams are built across rivers to store water which can be released
through channels to where it is needed.
• Underground water can be brought to the surface.
E.g. oasis in the Sahara Desert of North Africa.

c) Terracing:
• Changing steep slopes into a series of terraces can create more
usable farming land.
• The steps help slow runoff from rainwater and help it infiltrate into
the soil.

d) High technology farming: Hydroponics produces crops without land and

soil. The plant roots are suspended in water or in artificial soil enriched
with nutrients.
 URBAN LAND USE (residential, industrial, commercial, recreation)
a) Building upwards provides extra space for housing, offices and factories.
High-rise buildings maximise space to control the cities from sprawling to
farmlands on the edge of cities.
b) Land use planning to make the most of existing land through careful
planning. It involves zoning and transport infrastructure planning.

4. Focus of the 2003 Master Plan:

- Provide a good quality of life,
- enhance the business environment, and
- retain and enhance identity to encourage rootedness.