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Land reclamation is forming new land from the bottom of the sea or river. The land reclamation activity
on the seabed will make this reclaimed land a suitable land for development activities such as
settlement, commercial, or port where the beach formed is artificial. New land acquired through the
reclamation process is unsafe. This is because such soil is very susceptible to liquefaction. Any building
or infrastructure on the land could easily collapse. There is an increased danger of flooding, especially
in the drained land from the swamp, which is always below the land level. Subsidence may also occur
due to soil compaction at landfill sites or if wetlands surrounded by embankments have been reclaimed
to produce new land resulting from such reclamation activities. The land reclamation activities are
included in one of the development activities that must obtain the approval of the Environmental Impact
Assessment Report (EIA Report) from the Department of Environment (DOE). It is a condition that
must be met by those who wish to carry out land reclamation activities. For the sake of development,
states will try their best to obtain approval of the EIA Report. Hence, the Federal Government can only
rely on the Guidelines since no legislation relating to land reclamation activities exists. This paper aims
to analyse the existing Guidelines and other related legal provisions concerning land reclamation to
determine the extent to which it is consistent with the requirement in the EIA report. It also looks at the
environmental implications should the requirements not be fulfilled. This conceptual paper invokes a
doctrinal approach focusing on case law, statutes, and other legal sources. The law from other
jurisdictions will be reviewed to regulate land reclamation activities for sustainable coastal
development