Hwa Chong Institution
Integrated Humanities 2014 – Sec 2 Geography
Topic: Land & Water Resources
Handout 1: Land Resources
Name: …………………………………………(
)
Date: ………………
Class: ……………
Sections
1. Prelude
2. Reasons for land scarcity
a. Population growth
b. Competition between different land uses
c. Limited supply of land
3. Responses to land scarcity
a. Increasing price of land
b. Land clearance
c. Land reclamation techniques
i. Landfill
ii. Empoldering
iii. Reclaiming derelict land
d. Maximizing land use
i. Urban land
ii. Agricultural land
e. Conserving land
Prelude
In the lesson on land resources, you learnt about “Reasons for” and “Responses to” Land
Scarcity. This handout will the individual explanations for points in the above two
categories, occasionally backed up by current evidences and statistics that you should
memorize. These evidences will add not only rigor to your understanding, but also
marks to your exam answers.
The sections below will also talk about “evaluation” in the “Responses to land scarcity”
segment. Evaluation is simply asking the question “What are the benefits and
disadvantages of the solution?” You will need to demonstrate a sound awareness of the
possible evaluations to every “solution” you read about.
Read this set of handouts together with your textbook for a complete understanding of
the topics.
Reasons for land scarcity
Land scarcity is the shortage of land available for human activities. Land scarcity occurs
because of two main reasons: increasing demand for land and the limited supply of it.
Refer to pages 100 – 101 of your textbook.
1. Population growth
a. Population growth contributes to land scarcity as more land is needed to
cater to the activities of the increased number of people.
b. Many regions and countries have experienced rapid population growth in
recent years. Researchers estimate that by 2050, many African countries will
have more than twice the number of people compared to today; Kenya's
population will rise from 44 million to 97 million. Even in economically
developed countries such as Singapore, population growth has been positive from 2006 to 2012, Singapore’s population growth rate has averaged 3.2%.
c. As all areas have a carrying capacity, which is the maximum number of
people that an area can support comfortably, more land will be needed to
support the housing, economic and transport needs of the increased
population.
2. Competition between different uses for land
a. A growing population will have many different needs that have to be met:
such needs include housing, recreation, economic etc. Land needs to be
allocated to meet these needs, which results in the rising demand for land.
b. [Growth of industries]
c. [Development of transport systems]
d. [Increasing demand for housing]
Refer to pages 100 –
102 of your textbook
for explanation
3. Limited supply of land
a. Recognize that not only does the world have a limited supply of
land, but every country is similarly limited by its boundaries. If it uses land
beyond its own boundaries, it is infringing the territorial rights of its
neighbors.
Exam note: There are very few ways that the questions on this segment can vary. Commit all
of the above points to memory and be able to explain the different competing uses of land.
Responses to land scarcity
1. Increasing the price of land
a. Refer to textbook page 103 for the explanation
b. [Ev: Disadvantage] Increasing the price of land will increase the cost of
living for the poorer segments of the population. Low-income households
may find it difficult to afford a flat large enough for their members and may
thus have to live in tiny apartments. In Beijing and Hong Kong where prices
of apartments in the city are very high, young people are cramped in “pigeon-
hole” apartments that provide barely enough living space. This reduces the
quality of life for people who are not able to afford larger homes.
2. Land clearance
a. Land clearance is the process whereby empty plots of land are cleared for
other land uses. It helps to lessen land scarcity by increasing the supply of
available land for usage. Land clearance is often carried out in urban areas by
demolishing old buildings, and in rural areas by deforestation.
b. [Ev: Benefit] Land clearance is effective as the land can quickly be developed
for other uses once its cleared. For example, many old buildings in Shenton
Way and Outram have been demolished to make way for new offices and
residential buildings. Further, many graves in Bidadari Cemetary, at Upper
Aljunied Road, were exhumed to make way for new development projects.
These methods immediately free up land as no waiting time is required,
unlike land reclamation methods that may take years before the land can be
worked on.
c. [Ev: Disadvantages] However, land clearance can have a negative impact on
the environment. When deforestation takes place, the habitats of many plants
and animals will be destroyed. For example, the gorilla population in Congo,
Africa has been endangered by rapid deforestation projects that destroy their
natural habitat, the rainforests. In urban centres, old properties and buildings
may need to be conserved as they hold a special cultural significance in the
area’s history 3. Land Reclamation – Landfill
a. Landfill is a land reclamation method used to create dry land from an area
usually covered by water. The process involves draining the desired area and
filling it with material to create dry land. Refer to pages 105 – 106 of your
textbook for a diagrammatic explanation. Below is a step-by-step process of
landfilling:
i. Columns of sand, known as piles, are forced into the soft seabed to
make it more stable
ii. A sand wall is built around the area to be reclaimed to keep
seawater out. Sand is loaded into the sea right outside the sand
wall and stored there until needed.
iii. The sand that is stored outside the sand wall is sucked up and
pumped into the enclosed area. The purpose is to raise the level of
seabed above the sea level so that it can be used as land.
iv. The sand is compressed and compacted so that it stays in place,
and a granite wall is built on the sea facing side. The granite wall
prevents erosion by sea waves.
v. Trees and vegetation are grown on reclaimed land, and it is left to
rest for up to five years before use. The vegetation prevents soil
erosion, while the long rest period allows the sand to stabilize and
harden.
b. [Ev: Benefit] Increasing supply of land in Singapore: In 1990, the total land
area of Singapore was 633km2. By 2004, land reclamation methods have
increased our land space by 51.5km2, which makes up 8.9% of the total land
area. Estimates suggest that with continuing land reclamation, land area in
Singapore will increase by about another 100km2 by the year 2030. This
gives us more land on which to build housing and industrial facilities, or
transportation networks.
c. [Ev: Limitations] There are several limitations to landfilling:
i. Territorial rights: Singapore is surrounded by other countries
and cannot reclaim land beyond its natural boundaries –
otherwise, it would infringe upon its neighbors territorial
sovereignty.
ii. Technological limitations: Current technology only allows
reclamation of land for waters up to 15m in depth. Singapore has a
deep seabed along its northern coasts, which is one reason why
few reclamation projects are performed there.
iii. Costs: Large amounts of sand are needed for landfills and it is very
costly to import sand as Malaysia and Indonesia have banned
export of sand to Singapore.
d. [Case Studies] Singapore: Bedok, Marina Centre, Jurong Island
4. Empoldering
a. Similar to landfilling, Empoldering is a method to reclaim land from the sea. It
differs from landfills in it that it uses dikes and drainage canals to reclaim a
low-lying area of land, called a polder. Thus, no sand filling is involved in an
Empoldering project. Empoldering is usually used to reclaim plots of land
that are intended for agricultural use. Refer to page 107 for a diagrammatic
explanation of Empoldering. Below is a step-by-step process of Empoldering:
i. A dike is constructed around the area to be reclaimed so as to keep
seawater out.
ii. The area is drained of water using pumps and drainage canals.
iii. Reeds, which are a type of plant, are sown on the ground using
aircraft. This process helps soil to form.
iv. After three years, the reeds are burnt and the ashes are used as
fertilizers for the ground.
v. The land is laid to rest for up to 15 years, after which it is fertile
and ready for agricultural use.
b. [Ev: Benefits] Empoldering can create large tracts of land for agricultural
purposes – in The Netherlands where much of the land area lay below sea
level, the Zuider Zee reclamation project successfully created productive
farmlands for dairying, horticulture and arable farming.
c. [Ev: Limitations] The high costs of this process are its greatest limitation – a
large amount of capital is needed to construct facilities such as dikes, canals
and pumps. Moreover, maintenance costs required to prevent re-flooding of
the reclaimed land is very high as well.
d. [Case Studies] The Netherlands
Exam note: These are almost always tested. Commit all of the steps to memory, be able to
talk about the benefits and limitations of each method, and know how to compare the
similarities and differences between the two methods – one similarity is that a dike or sand
wall is used by both methods to cordon off the area that is to be reclaimed. What are the
other similarities? Differences should be easier to talk about.
5. Reclaiming derelict land
a. Derelict land refers to land that is in poor conditions due to misuse. Land can
be made derelict due to two reasons: improper farming practices and mining
activities – refer to page 108 of your textbook for the explanation. Thus,
methods to reclaim derelict land can differ based on how the land is misused:
i. Derelict due to farming practices: Land can be made arable again
by adding fertilizers to restore nutrients lost due to poor farming
methods. Moreover, new vegetation can be planted on the soil and
left to rest in order to prevent soil erosion in the area.
ii. Derelict due to mining activities: Contaminated soil can be treated
with chemicals to make it arable again. Mining pools can be
removed by filling them up. Waste heaps from former mining
activities can be leveled out.
Exam note: Two things you need to know here: How do man’s activities make land derelict?
And what are the methods in reclaiming derelict land? The answer to the first question is
“improper farming practices and mining activities”, but you need to be able to talk about
them at length and explain fully. The answer to the second question can be shorter – just be
able to list all the methods as stated above and explain their purpose.
6. Maximizing urban land use
a. Besides reclaiming more land, countries can also try to make full use of
existing land. Refer to pages 110 – 111 of your textbook. This section will
introduce two ways with which urban landuse can be optimized:
b. [Mixed landuse] Mixed landuse developments refer to areas that comprise a
mixture of activities, e.g. industry, housing, recreational, etc. Previously, cities
were planned based on zones where different areas of land were assigned
different functions. Mixed landuse schemes combine shopping malls, offices,
and housing spaces into a small geographical area.
i. [Ev: Benefits] People in a mixed landuse space have easy access to
shops, work, recreational facilities and schools. This saves them
many resources such as money and time spent on travelling.
ii. [Ev: Limitations] High costs of implementing mixed landuse
projects as new transport networks need to be built in such spaces
so as to accommodate the various new activities, e.g. new offices
need to be created for office space, while new homes need to be
built to house people. Furthermore, there is increased pollution, as
industrial areas tend to produce gaseous or liquid waste that may
be improperly disposed of.
c. [High-density building] Technological advances have enabled taller
buildings to be built. Areas with such buildings are called high-density areas
because there are many people working or living per unit area.
i. [Ev: Benefits] High-density buildings frees up more of the
remaining land in a country to be used for other purposes, as more
people can now be housed within a given space.
ii. [Ev: Limitations] However, having more people within a
geographical area may result in increased levels of congestion as
during peak commuting periods in the day. Also, there may be
higher levels of noise pollution. All these result in lower quality of
life for the area’s inhabitants.
7. Maximizing agricultural landuse
a. The above section deals with landuse in urban areas. This section will
introduce three techniques to maximize rural/agricultural landuse. For more
details, refer to pages 112 – 114 of your textbook:
b. [Irrigation] Irrigation is the watering of crops through artificial means. In
areas that experience water shortages, farmers rely on irrigation to provide
their crops with sufficient water for growth. Irrigation methods often involve
channeling water with pipes from rivers or lakes to places where water in
scarce.
i. [Ev: Benefits] Irrigation ensures a sufficient water supply for
crops, thus allowing farmers to grow greater amounts of crops in a
given area – maximizing land use. Further, areas that were
previously unsuitable for agriculture can be made arable by water
piped in from other sources. Lastly, modern irrigation methods are
automated and reduce the need for human labor.
ii. [Ev: Limitations] If improperly maintained, irrigation canals can
hold stagnant waters that can become breeding sites for pests and
bacteria. Moreover, irrigation systems can be highly expensive to
construct as dams and pipes are needed to channel and regulate
water flow from water bodies. Lastly, river water that is unsuitable
for farming purposes may contain salts that damage crops.
c. [Terracing] Terracing is the process of cutting flat strips of land into hill
slopes for planting crops on. This method is mainly used in countries where
flat, arable land is limited, such as Japan. Terracing increases the supply of
flat land for agriculture. One important feature of terraces is that low walls,
also known as bunds, are built at the end of each step to slow down the runoff
of rainwater, so as to allow rainwater more time to seep into the soil and be
absorbed by plant roots.
i. [Ev: Benefits] Terracing is a relatively inexpensive method of
increasing arable land, and increases productivity of the land at
the same time as more crops can be grown per unit area.
Furthermore, flat strips allow the use of modern farming
machinery that could not be previously used on these once hilly
slopes.
ii. [Ev: Limitations] Much time and human energy are needed to cut
steps into hill slopes. Furthermore, terraces require a lot of
maintenance after they are constructed as damaged bunds may
lead to soil erosion.
d. [Soil-less farming] Soil-less farming methods involve the use of hydroponics
and aeroponics (you don’t have to know what these are, exactly) for growing
crops without soil.
i. [Ev: Benefits] Plants grown by soil-less farming methods can be
grown closer together, thus the land is more productive as more
crops are grown per unit area. Moreover, the crops can be grown
in controlled environment, shielding them from the growth of
weeds and attacks by pests.
ii. [Ev: Limitations] Soil-less farming is impractical in countries
where farmers are not sufficiently educated to understand the use
of high technology equipment. Moreover, such technologies are
very costly to obtain and implement, making them unsuitable for
small-farms that do not have enough capital.
e. [Case Studies] Irrigation in Egypt, terracing in Japan, and soil-less farming in
India
Exam note: The emphasis on this section is more the EVALUATION than the method itself. In
the exam, we will be looking out for awareness of the general methods that different
countries adopt for maximizing land use – thus, you need to provide examples of what’s used
in different countries.
That alone, however, isn’t enough. You will also need to demonstrate knowledge of the
benefits and limitations of each approach in order to score the highest points
8. Conserving land
a. Conserving land refers to the careful use of land resources to minimize
damage to the environment. One way of conserving land is to set aside land
as nature reserves – these are lands protected from exploitation and
development projects. Another aim of nature reserves is to protect the
diversity of flora and fauna that exist in these eco-systems. Refer to page 115
on your textbook.
b. [Case Studies] Singapore’s nature reserves
Exam note: As you can tell from its relative length, there isn’t much that can be asked from
this section. Two possible questions are “Why are natural reserves important” and “Why is
there a need to conserve land”. Your answers to the above questions must be accompanied by
examples, so be sure to know what Singapore’s nature reserves have and the purposes that
they serve!