Land Reclamation By

Sea
Proudly done by:
Ooi Kang Hao, Bryan
Kheh, Matthew Seah and
Quah Woei Jin
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CONTENTS
Introduction of land
reclamation
What is empoldering
Empoldering in the Netherlands
Resources

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Introduction of land reclamation

 What is Land Reclamation?

A process of increasing the amount of usable land.
 Reasons for land reclamation.
FOR MORE INFO...
-increasing demand of land
Visit this
-growing world population website:www.uweb/waterland.shtml
-need for recreational facilities
 Ways to increase land
-Bringing unused land (etc. hills, deserts, forests) into use.
-creating new land by sea
-restoring damaged lands

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 
Empoldering refers to the creation of polders.
A polder is a piece of land in a low lying area reclaimed
from a body of water by building dikes and by drainage.
Empoldering can be carried out in coastal and inland
areas such as lakes.
Features of polders
•Polders are enclosed by dikes to keep out the sea.
•areTomanaged
prevent the polders from being waterlogged, they
by drainage canals and pumps.
Dikes protect the polder from erosion
Drainage
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canals carry away excess water from the polders
4
 Major characteristic on polders reclaimed in the 17th century
in north of Amsterdam

 lowest lying polders, "droogmakerijen", low constant water levels

are maintained because of the intensive agricultural use, which is
possible because these polders have a clay soil.
 higher lying polders, "veenweides" or peat pastures, relatively
high constant water levels are maintained. Otherwise, the peat
oxidises and the land surface subsides even more. Peat pastures
are used for extensive agriculture.

A typical pasture area with high water levels and extensive agriculture.

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 Method Of Empoldering
 First, a dike is constructed around the area to be reclaimed
to keep water from coming in. The water in the reclaim area
is replaced with freshwater.
 Secondly, pumps and drainage canals is used to drain the
area.
 Thirdly, reeds are sown to help the soil absorb excess
water in the soil.
 Three years later, the reeds are burnt. Drainage pipes are
constructed. Ploughs are used till mix the fertile ash into
the soil.
 After around 15 years, the polder can be used for growing
crops, building houses and constructing roads.
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 Reclaimed Area Of Netherlands

Dam
Reclaimed land Zuider Zee

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 
Belgium. The Netherlands actually grew.
Netherlands
In 1986, the Netherlands did not carve out the province from already existing land nor did they annex the territory of their neighbours - Germany and

 The Frisians, who first settled in the Netherlands began to build the terpen, the first dykes to hold back the water.
 In 1287 the terpen that had held back the North Sea failed and water flooded the country.
- A new bay called Zuider zee was created over the former farmland.
- The Dutch worked to slowly push back the water of the Zuider zee, building dykes and creating polders.
- Once the dykes were built, canals & pumps were used to drain the land.
- From the 1200s, windmills were used to pump excess water off the fertile soil; today, most of the windmills have been replaced with electricity- and
diesel-driven pumps.
About

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 Netherlands
 Then, storms and floods in 1916 provided the impetus for the Dutch to start a major
project to reclaim the Zuider Zee. From 1927 to 1932, a 30.5 km long dyke called
Afsluitdijk (the Barrier Dyke) was built; turning the Zuider Zee into the IJsselmeer,
a freshwater lake.
 The Zuider Zee could not accommodate the bigger sailing ships that had been just
developed.
 With the Zuider Zee reclamation project, the area had many uses.
 Portions of the lake were enclosed by dikes and drained to form polders. They were
then used for housing, agriculture and recreational purposes.
 The Ijssel Lake now serves as a freshwater reservoir, supplying water for the
irrigation. Further protective
dykes and works were built, reclaiming
the land of the IJsselmeer.
The new land led to the creation of
a the new province of Flevoland.
About

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 Netherlands
 The Zuider Zee Project was so successful that empoldering is now
used in many parts of the world to control floods or to increase
land supply.

FOR MORE INFO...

Today, approximately 27 percent of the Netherlands is actually below sea level. This area is home to over 60 percent of the
country's population of 15.8 million people. The Netherlands, which is approximately the size of the U.S. states Connecticut
and Massachusetts combined, has an approximate average elevation of 11 meters (36 feet). The Netherlands ties Lemmefjord,
About

Denmark for claim to the lowest point in Western Europe - Prince Alexander Polder lies at 23 feet (7 meters) below sea level.

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Pictures of the Zuider Zee Project
This defence line is the only example of
a fortification based on the control of
water. It was built between 1883 and
1920 and extends 135 km around the city
of Amsterdam. The protection of the
center of the country was ensured by a
network of 45 forts and their artillery
acting in concert with temporary
flooding from polders and an intricate
system of canals and locks.

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 The Wouda
Pumping Station is
the largest steam-
pumping station
ever built. It opened
in 1920 and is still
in operation. Droogmakerij de Beemster
(Beemster Polder) The
oldest area of reclaimed land
in The Netherlands.
Mill
Network
at
Kinderdij
k-Elshout
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 Can Empoldering be used in Singapore

Empoldering cannot be used in Singapore

The sea around Singapore is deep.
It may harm marine life and endanger them.
There is no narrow water way to build a dam.
It takes too long a time to use empoldered land.

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Can land fill method be used in the
Netherlands?
Land fill can be used in the Netherlands
The Zuider zee is shallow enough.
It takes a shorter time than empoldering.

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4)Resources
 Geography Textbook
 Internet

Picture of Mill Network at

07/12/21 Kinderdijk-Elshout 15