The Bosphorus, Istanbul. Photo source: ©© John Walker
Excerpts;
Six square kilometers of land have been gained from Istanbul coasts and opened for urban use by filling up the sea. With the acceleration of such infrastructure work at the start of the millennium, professionals are warning about risks…
The land gained by filling up the sea since 2000 accounts for nearly 2.6 square kilometers, or about the size of the total area of Heybeliada, an island off Istanbul, according to calculations and satellite maps…
Read Full Article, Hurriyet Daily News (09-12-2017)
Reclaimed lands in İstanbul reach size of a district; SOL International (09-12-2017)
The size of reclaimed lands in İstanbul has expanded much more in the last 15 years than in any period prior…
Beirut’s beaches blighted by the land reclamation and rubbish crisis; The National (07-29-2017)
Lebanon’s coastline is changing dramatically, with new planned landfill sites that will extend hundreds of metres into the Mediterranean that, amazingly, seem to bother few politicians. Many are persuaded that waste is inert though that is hardly the case with significant environmental damage that will leave an impact on future generations…
Dubai set to build $1.7b man-made islands Marsa Al Arab by 2020; CNN (05-18-2017)
Dubai is growing again, and again it’s building into the sea…
How Singapore is creating more land for itself; The New York Times (04-20-2017)
How and why China is building islands in the South China Sea, NewsWeek (03-29-2017)
Indonesia’s contested land reclamation projects; The Sydney Morning Herald (04-05-2016)
There are more than 15 planned reclamation projects across Indonesia, including a $3 billion project to build artificial islands in the middle of Benoa Bay in Bali. This proposed reclamation has spawned one of the largest environmental movements in Indonesia’s history…
Europe’s Coastlines and Urban Sprawl; Guardian UK (01-24-2015)
Two French oceanography researchers expected to find pollution on their 8,345km, 14-month kayak journey from Gibraltar to Istanbul, but what shocked them was the endless spread of cities along the coast…
Land Reclamation at Rotterdam, Netherlands; NASA, Earth observatory (12-07-2010)
Land reclamation has harmed marine life: Survey, The Peninsula Quatar (03-05-2017)
Survey shows that land reclamation has adverse effects on coral reefs and fish quantity has decreased in the last five years in the coastal areas of Doha, Quatar…
Land reclamation plan endangers protected marine area, Malta; Malta Today (10-03-2016)
What Happens to a Coral Reef When an Island is Built on Top? the Washington Post (07-11-2015)
Seven such coral reefs are being turned into islands, with harbors and landing strips by the Chinese military, and it is destroying a rich ecological network. “It’s the worst thing that has happened to coral reefs in our lifetime…”
