The impact of land reclamation on coastal environment and marine ecology is well recognized and widely studied. On the Ejigbo development, Dr. Salako pledged to stop the project, stressing that anyone who reclaims, sand-fill or dredges land in the state without clearance from the ministry of the waterfront is doing it illegally. . There's money to be made in moving land to the right place. The procedure attempts to convert unused land into useable land and contributes to the expansion of the land area, the creation of habitat for [] Dredged and sand filled areas in Buguma, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Potential environmental impact of land reclamation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Reclamation is done without proper environmental impact assessment. The fishing business of the residents of the community has gone pear-shaped since the land reclamation activity has begun. As a result, offshore systems such as coral reefs and eel grass beds are readily degraded. Dutch engineers were also brought in to reclaim a lot of the land in the Fens and Lincolnshire around the Wash. Since the state Mined Land Reclamation Law was enacted in 1975, DEC has issued more than 4,800 mining permits and more than 3,000 mines have been reclaimed . Industry experts are also concerned with the level of compliance with existing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act No. Publishing on IntechOpen allows authors to earn citations and find new collaborators, meaning more people see your work not only from your own field of study, but from other related fields too. It is also referred to as the process of improving lands to make them suitable for more intensive use. Sites T1, T2 and T3 are the end, middle and mouth of the sand fill area. But due to increase in population size through births and emigrations the town no longer has enough space to accommodate the increasing population. Section 1(1) of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007 gives the federal government ownership and . This means that those living on the old waterfront now have a large expanse of land bordering their respective locations. These areas are naturally covered with water during high tides, but are filled with soil and consolidated to prevent tidal flooding during high tide. It is often considered in places that are densely populated and flat land is scarce. The results of the physico-chemical analysis and the species abundance test were derived as shown in Figure 9. The side of the sand filled area was piled up to form balkanization against the inflow of river water. Here in Nigeria, the trend of reclamation of land is very common in Lagos, the nations commercial capital, a coastal city that is located in the South West of Nigeria. The entry of big machinery into the swamp had added more stress to the coast by destroying many soil-dwelling and benthic organisms. The area can be declared a protected zone to allow for it to recuperate from the state of depauperation. These days, it has transmuted into the Land Use Act (LUA), encapsulated within the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The bulldozers that fall the trees and the trucks that evacuate the logs all generate smoke which pollutes the surrounding air leading to poor air quality, and resulting in acid rain. Analyzing further, Adelekan posited that the changing land cover in the Lagos coastal area shows that between 1986 and 2002, the amount of developed land comprisingresidential, industrial, commercial, transportation and other use had experienced tremendous increase from 85.4 square kilometres (43.36per cent) to 111.9 square kilometres (56.8per cent). Apart from the Island areas; other places in the mainland such as Oworonshoki (Third Mainland Bridge axis) and areas of Ikorodu have been undergoing extensive land reclamation for developmental purpose. The deadline for the reclamation activity is 2022. It is a regular progress or change by plant and animal due to natural or anthropogenic disturbances. Home > For indigenous vacations in Nigeria, Calabar is often the first location that comes to mind, hence why it's among the most beautiful cities in Nigeria. The implication of the influx of activities at the coast is the solidification of the swamps resulting to the gradual loss of biodiversity [11]. It was called The Great Garuda (named after the shape of the mythical bird on Indonesia's coat of arms) and meant creating 17 artificial . Physical land covers all the earth including land surface, sub-surface, under water and super surface (atmosphere). It is the responsibility of the Government to protect the land against illegal landscape reclamations. Abia (state) Aba Arochukwu Umuahia Adamawa (state) Jimeta Mubi Numan Yola Akwa Ibom (state) Ikot Abasi Ikot Ekpene Oron Uyo Anambra (state) Awka Onitsha Bauchi (state) Azare Bauchi Jamaare Katagum Land reclamation involves developing and implementing a reclamation plan that considers and . This further denigrates the soil structure and converts the aquatic environment to marshy environment. Lending his voice on the matter, an environmentalist, Osawe Irabors view differs from those of Nwilo, Faniran and Afegbua. Orange Island is another reclaimed island that covers about 150 hectares of land and is located within the Lekki axis in Lagos. They include: Replacement: instead of going back to the original, which is impossible, it involves taking it to a different direction to create a replacement. Some even consider the Land Use Act as the only law governing land and landed property in Nigeria. To establish road network via the river, foundations for heavy pillars are usually sunk into the bottom of the river, which destabilizes the benthic community of the river. Land policy in Nigeria is influenced by government and culture. Deposited sand is usually evacuated by trucks to buyers. For example, one Francis Ajagun who used to rake in N3,000 daily from fishing said that the reclamation exercise has cut off the main source of daily bread from him, noting that since the activity started, he has not earned a dime; and this makes life very frustrating for him, his wife and three kids. Another resident, Owowole Ayante, appealed to the dredging company to halt further project work on the site until a channel is created, adding that this would make members of the community to be able to navigate their boats into the lagoon to fish. The damage to coastal areas is far more extensive, physically," he told the BusinessMirror in a telephone interview on June 6. By making research easy to access, and puts the academic needs of the researchers before the business interests of publishers. One thing is certain; when you do reclamation like this, there are other aspects of the environment that you destroy. Highly placed individuals prefer constructing their houses along coastal areas. Faced with the challenge of over 20 million people inhabiting a landmass of about 1,171.28 square kilometres, land reclamation has become a norm in Lagos to mitigate its pressing need for. These small farms produce about 90% of the total food in Nigeria. Reclamation is carried out by both government and private developers. The Great Wall of Lagos will ensure that everyone living and working within the 10 square kilometres (6.2 miles) of reclaimed land for Eko Atlantic and the population of Victoria Island are protected from the sea, Frame assured. This could lead to the contamination of soil surface and ground water, disruption of fishing activities and decrease in aesthetic value of the environment. In the same vein the wheel of the bulldozers fragments the soil particles and makes it porous and prone to leaching or wind erosion. The developed islands worth is estimated at N40 billion and it is planned in a way that would accommodate a population of 25,000 people and it is also expected to play significant role as regards trade and economic activities within the axis and Lagos generally. This is because such activities lead to the clearing of the mangrove forest and other coastal vegetation. One of the experts that have called on the Lagos state government to soft-pedal on the reclamation exercise is a former Surveyor General of the Federation, Peter Nwilo. An example is a nipa palm invaded area. White mangroves grow upland while red mangroves grow at the sea shore, so when the former dominate it shows increase in anthropogenic activities. Once the bulldozer rolls in to mow down the mangroves, it creates depressions for tidal pressure to wash in ashore. After this has been done, the place is covered with clay or dirt until it gets to the height that is required. Such administrative control of the land by the chief is referred to by By Jason Gordon, Adam S. Willcox, A.E. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or land fill . The scouring of the river bottom crushes and destroys a lot of organisms such as shell and non-shell fish community in that location. Government budget refers to an annual financial statement that denotes its anticipated expenditure and expected revenue generation in a fiscal year. Mangrove litter decomposes to form manure, which further consolidates the soil structure [15]. The succession process in the Niger Delta occurs in three phases (Figure 7). Segregation: this is when units or communities cluster together based on homogeneity of ideals or goals. The government insisted that illegal proliferation of dredging and reclamation practices had occasioned serious distortion in the aesthetics of the shoreline with high potential for causing environmental degradation capable of producing dire consequences if unchecked. Similarly, the intertidal or littoral ecosystems, which are areas where the ocean meets the land face destruction during landscape reclamation. These areas dominate the hinter land and are often reclaimed and sand filled to expand their economic potential. A perfect example is a fishing community called Ago-Egun which is located at the outskirt of Bariga axis in Lagos. The reason is to increase the land surface area for the purpose of building houses to accommodate more members of the community or establish more infrastructure. The next kind of management is human management [19]. Expansion of creeks allow for navigational activities, commerce and construction. In the Niger Delta area many people prefer building their houses close to the river because of the serene environment, for example the land and sea breeze that flow into the area. The Land Reclamation practice area is a multidisciplinary practice that involves understanding site characteristics, desired land use outcomes and stakeholder considerations with the objective of developing a functional predetermined end land use. The Atlantic City was built by dredging up and filling in 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) worth of land. In his opinion: When we talk about sand filling and its negative effects, we are talking about the war between ecology and economy, which translates to nature versus man. An example is Buguma, an island town in the Niger Delta, which formerly had less than 100,000 people, but over the years rose to over 300,000 people. The law confers the mandate to implement it on the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnv) in accordance with this law. The method is mostly regarded as the simplest one. Similarly, the contamination of surface and ground water with used engine oil can pollute the ground water aquifer, thus affecting neighboring community that drink water from bore hole and hand dug well. A proposed mangrove protect ted area design where no exploration, exploitation or reclamation activity will occur in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. The reclamation land which is in two phases is located on a reclaimed land of over 100 hectares. Former mangrove forest that was converted to sand fill in Buguma, Niger Delta, Nigeria. For instance, establishment of refinery in a locality leads to the reclamation of more coastal lands to harbor the cluster of people who come to seek for jobs. Increasing population in small communities had also led to the reclamation of coastal areas to create room for the construction of houses to accommodate more people. "Land reclamation kills mangroves, seagrass and corals. But in most cases no proper EIA or landscape assessment is carried out [5]. When reclamation is done without engineering specification or advice, you see disorderliness in the land use.. How? During exploration the coast is first dredged, cleared of vegetation and reclaimed in other to create a plat form for mounting pillars that carry oil pipelines and well heads. Accumulation of dredged spoil converts the swamp to terrestrial area and also changes the physico-chemistry of the coasts [3]. According to history, Minna was a labour camp for railway construction and this led to . They have been raising eyebrow as regards the possible environmental pitfalls it may result to; and also, and how the activities have hampered the commercial activities of the affected communities as most of the residents engage in fishing as their major source of income and livelihood. Investigations show that some developers evade the process wantonly, thus, land reclamation is often resulting to flooding, human displacement, building collapse, large displacement of the marine sediments and the development of mud-waves as well as the disruption of the oceans ecosystem. Fast-growing cities in the Gulf and Southeast Asia are turning water into real estate at a spectacular pace and scale. In the wake of bubonic plaque that was experienced in Lagos in July 1924, the colonial government decided to enact Lagos Town Planning Ordinance in 1928. The economy is all about the desire for resources and land. Books > The continuous pumping and pouring of sand ashore after a while lead to the formation of sand mountains, which are more often abandoned at the end of the business (Figure 4). Luloff, James By Jamilah Mohd Salim, Maizatul Azwa Radzi, Sheriza M IntechOpen Limited Before exploration the site is prepared through pilling, dredging, sand filling, grading and concreting. By Jason Gordon, Adam S. Willcox, A.E. We have carried out some investigations. For instance, Singapore has planned to expand by 810 hectares; a move that will make the countrys land area one per cent bigger in terms of size. Luloff, James C. Finley and Donald G. Hodges. The problem is that mangroves provide numerous ecosystem services to the local people while the palms provide no ecosystem service to the people. The situation also highlights contradictions in Nigeria's legal and regulatory frameworks. Mangrove vegetation is the dominant species found at the interface between the land and the sea. A future gas plant is to be located at the beach adjacent to Edko Town in the eastern part of Abu Qir Bay. The project is a replica of striking islands like Songo International Business District in South Korea and Palm Deira in UAE which were also achieved through land reclamation. Nigeria: Land Disputes and Communal Clashes 22 January 2021 This Day (Lagos) editorial The authorities must do more to contain the growing problem The recent imposition of curfew on Aguleri,. The investment company of Lagos state, Ibile Holding Company is carrying out the project on behalf of the state. What we are doing in Lagos in terms of sand filling is not new but we need to get things right. Nevertheless, land utilization is influenced by nature and characteristics of soil, soil moisture and temperature, topography and land location, flora, fauna and climate. This situation thus necessitated the reclamation of coastal areas to create more space for human habitation. Another example is the replacement of invasive nipa palm forest with native mangrove forests. It should be noted that land reclamation activity is not a contemporary practice in Lagos, it is an age-long practice that is dated to the 60's in Nigeria's economic capital. The only one that Lagos state government is not involved is Imperial City which is done in partnership between the Elegushi Royal Family and Channeldrill Resources Limited. Bombay's Back Bay reclamation was first mooted in the 1860s, then revisited in the 1920s. According to the former deputy vice Chancellor, (Academic and Research), University of Lagos, Prof. Babajide Alo, land reclamation without due Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) could lead to serious environmental degradation. Examples of artificial islands in Nigeria include Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, Gracefield Island, Lekki, Lagos, The Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, and Lagos. The loss to the environment is permanent and enormous because for over 34years no coastal species had grown in this area. Undoubtedly it would be technically possible to reclaim much, possible most of the Wash, but there are a couple of obstacles. We basically try to establish new habitat type because we cannot establish historic ecosystem. The Atlantic City was built by dredging up and filling in 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) worth of land. Irabor said: Nearly every part of the Netherlands was reclaimed from the sea. The project descriptions include shoreline protection and reclamation activities of over 1, 000 hectare of land and construction of a mixed-use development in the city. You set a kind of disequilibrium in the environment. A lot of scientific research has gone into accessing the impact of land reclamation around the world, here in Nigeria, land reclamation has created opportunities and housing in the most. Farms are generally small and scattered and use simple tools and shifting cultivation. Jakarta, the fastest sinking city in the world, made a plan in 2014 to tackle rising sea levels and subsidence. Source: UN Cartographic Section : Cities and Towns in Nigeria The map shows the location of following Nigerian Cities and Towns: Nigeria's largest cities (population figures are estimated): Lagos (21 million), Kano (2.5 - 3 million), Ibadan (3.2 million), Abuja Other Cities and Towns in Nigeria: Five ways human ecology influence reclamation of coastal environment include: Concentration: is a process whereby a given area becomes concentrated by human population due to the fertility of the land. The uppermost layer or photic zone is 10m of water and absorbs 80% of solar energy, which carries out primary productivity. Nigeria has a total of 36 states, and 774 Local Government Areas that are spread across the 39th most populous country in the world. 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