11.7 Managing Floods - Hard engineering

Question 1

What is a hard engineering strategy?

Answer 1

➢ Involves using man-made structures to prevent or control natural processes

Question 2

What are the purpose of dams?

Answer 2

➢ Flood prevention
➢ Hydro electricity generation
➢ Irrigation
➢ Water supply

Question 3

What are the benefits of dams?

Answer 3

➢ Very effective at regulation water flow
➢ During periods of high rainfall - water can be can be stored in a reservoir and then can be released when rainfall is low

Question 4

What are the disadvantages of a dam?

Answer 4

➢ Cost huge amounts of money
➢ Reservoirs often flood large areas of land
➢ Destroys the environments

Question 5

How does channel straightening work?

Answer 5

➢ Involves cutting through meanders to create a straight channel
➢ Speeds up flow of water along the river

Question 6

What are the benefits or channel straightening?

Answer 6

➢ Protects a vulnerable location from flooding

➢ Protects banks if some places are straightened with concrete

Question 7

What are the disadvantages of channel straightening?

Answer 7

➢ Shifts the problem elsewhere downstream
➢ Looks unattractive
➢ Damage wildlife and creates an unnatural river environment

Question 8

What is the purpose of embankments?

Answer 8

➢ Embankment is a raised riverbank

➢ Raising the level of a riverbank allows the river channel to hold more water before flooding occurs

Question 9

What are the benefits of an embankment?

Answer 9

➢ Cheap
➢ Sustainable
➢ More natural

Question 10

What is a flood relief channel?

Answer 10

➢ Man-made river channel constructed to by-pass an urban area
➢ During times of high flow, sluice gates can be opened to allow excess water to flow away into the flood relief channel
➢ Reduces the risk of flooding