Not only are the fishermen of Tanjung Tokong banned from entering what was once an extremely productive fishing ground Coastal cities in China reclaimed an average of 700 sq km of land , equivalent to the size of Singapore , each year between 2006 and 2010 , for the development of houses , ports and industrial zones . Such projects have now been banned by central government , but other countries , including Singapore , Dubai , Malaysia , the Philippines and Sri Lanka , are still expanding their use of the technique . Critics claim that reclamation is eradicating habitats such as mangroves , forests and wetlands , damaging marine life and increasing pollution and waste . It is also threatening local communities dependent on fishing .
Coastal cities in China reclaimed an average of 700 sq km of land , equivalent to the size of Singapore , each year between 2006 and 2010 , for the development of houses , ports and industrial zones . Such projects have now been banned by central government , but other countries , including Singapore , Dubai , Malaysia , the Philippines and Sri Lanka , are still expanding their use of the technique . Critics claim that reclamation is eradicating habitats such as mangroves , forests and wetlands , damaging marine life and increasing pollution and waste . It is also threatening local communities dependent on fishing .