Advantages

Increases the availability of arable land. Expanding the carrying capacity of land A feasible solution to the problem of overcrowding It allows for further growth of a countrys industries Reclaimed land can be used for a multitude of purposes

 As said by bacon 400 yrs ago that, Nature to be commanded must be obeyed

Disadvantages
It affects natural drainage system of cities, causing floods during monsoon It also affects forest for e.g. mangroves have been destroyed near coastal area According to Belussov, corresponding member of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, Bombay coast is sinking at the rate of 0.02 mm per year. Thus, Mumbai has a coast of Submergence

Effects on mangroves
Britishers reclaimed these seven islands into one continuous land mass which later on came to be known as greater Mumbai In the early nineties, perhaps over 37 sq. km. of mangroves existed in Mumbai, largely in the Thane creek, Mahim, Versova, Gorai and Ghodbunder, with sporadic patches in places such as Bandra, Malabar Hill and Colaba It acts as natural flood-barrier and silt trap.

Contd.
Mumbai has probably lost 40 per cent of all its mangroves in the past decade or so, largely because of reclamation for housing, slums, sewage treatment and garbage dumps. Mangrove ecosystems which exist along the Mithi River and Mahim creek are being destroyed and Replaced with construction. Hundreds of acres of swamps in Mahim creek have been reclaimed and put to use for construction by builders

Effects on Mumbai
Many hills like mazgaon hill,chinchpokli hill,matunga hill,tardeo hill has vanished from Mumbai's topography Even the hills like Malabar hill,worli hill do not look like hills now. Most of the hills of greater mumbai have already been vanished for housing industry & other activities Hornby vellard-a big wall was build to hold back the seawater in 1720 between worli & mahalakshmi

 In Mumbai, the sea water penetrates inland through the estuaries and creeks and seeps into the subsoil. The water also comes down the three rivers and their tributaries. During Monsoon, the rain water is added. All this water has to be kept under control if the land in Mumbai is to remain habitable. The Versova beach erosion, the recurrence of floods in the Ulhas and Vaitarna rivers and the flooding of the low lying areas in Bombay are symptoms of the geological hazards due to reclamation in Bombay.

Geological hazards

Coastal problem
In the past 10 years alone, built-up land in Mumbai has soared nearly 114 percent, in the same period, forest and wetland areas shrank by 35 percent The Bandra-kurla complex was created by replacing such swamps.

Effects on beaches
Versova beach erosion may be cited as an example of the effect due to interference with natural process in mumbai.The incoming waves towards Mumbai advance more rapidly through a deeper water opposite a bay or creek than through a shallow water opposite a headland. The shallow waters of headlines like Kolaba point, Malbar point, Bandra Point and Madh Point arrest the forward progress of the waves sweep into the bays and creeks before being checked.