CASE STUDIES - Rivers

Question 1

What are the social impacts of the flooding of South Asia 2007? 9

Answer 1

1. 2000 died - reluctant to leave land.
2. Children drowned - couldn’t swim.
3. Slow evacuation - poor transport links.
4. Lack of clean water - 100,000 caught water-borne diseases e.g dysentery and diarrhoea.
5. 25 million homeless.
6. 112,000 houses destroyed - porous mud bricks became saturated by floodwater.
7. Dhaka (capital) was inundated.
8. 4,000 schools closed.
9. 44 schools destroyed.

Question 2

What are the economic impacts of the flooding of South Asia 2007? 6

Answer 2

1. Total cost $1 billion.
2. Factories closed around Dhaka - poorest unemployed.
3. Widespread loss of livestock. 80% rely on agriculture - lost livelihoods.
4. 550,000 hectares of land couldn’t be planted at peak time.
5. 10% price rise of basmati rice.
6. Debt increased individually and nationally e.g farmers borrowed money for food and seeds. Governments imported food and medicine.

Question 3

What are the environmental impacts of the flooding of South Asia 2007? 2

Answer 3

1. Fertile silt deposited onto the flood plain.

2. Rivers polluted with sewage.

Question 4

How well did Bangladesh recover from flooding in 2007?

Answer 4

Poor country - little flood defences/ management.
Low income, savings and little insurance limited recovery.
Corrupt officials diverted the aid money/

Question 5

What are the physical factors of the South Asia flooding in 2007? 4

Answer 5

1. Sudden monsoon.
2. Heavy rainfall - 900mm total for July.
   3, Prolonged rainfall on saturated soil.
3. Peak discharge for Ganges and Brahmaputra coincided.

Question 6

What are the human factors of the South Asia flooding in 2007?
3

Answer 6

1. Deforestation in Nepal and Himalayas,
2. Growth of urban areas due to migration.
3. Collapse of old earth dams in Pradesh and India.

Question 7

What is the background information for the flooding of South Asia in 2007?
3

Answer 7

Monsoon climate - 80% rain falls in 4 months.
Low lying land - 10m above sea level.
Melting snow and ice from Himalayas increased River Brahmaputra’s discharge.

Question 8

What are the names of the 2 rivers for the South Asia 2007 case study? 2

Answer 8

River Ganges.

River Brahmaputra.

Question 9

What is the background information for the River Eden flooding in 2005? 3

Answer 9

1. Large drainage basin.
2. Some parts have steep sides.
3. Many streams drain quickly into the river - short lag time.

Question 10

What are the physical factors of the Carlisle, Cumbria flooding in 2005?

Answer 10

1. Heavy rainfall - 6th January, 36 hours, 200mm. (equivalent 4 months rainfall).
   2, Saturated ground.
2. Caused a very high peak discharge (1520 cumecs) - average discharge of 52 cumecs.

Question 11

What are the human factors of the Carlisle, Cumbria flooding in 2005?
2

Answer 11

1. Urabanisation.

2. Drains and sewage systems overflowed - caused 25% flooding problems.

Question 12

What are the social impacts of the flooding of Carlisle, Cumbria 2005?
6

Answer 12

3 died.
3000 homeless.
Thousands personal possessions damaged.
Temporary accommodation disrupted lives.
4 schools closed.
Newman Catholic School didn't reopen until Easter.
Increase in stress-related illnesses -S.

Question 13

What are the economic impacts of the flooding of Carlisle, Cumbria 2005?

Answer 13

Total cost £100 million.
Year to recover.
350 businesses shut.
Trade activities from Carlisle railway station suspended.
United Biscuits flooded with 3m water and had £5 million worth of damage.
33/1100 employers lost jobs.
70,000 addresses - no power.
80 buses destroyed.
Road and bridges damaged e.g Warwick Road.

Question 14

What are the environmental impacts of the flooding of Carlisle, Cumbria 2005? 2

Answer 14

1. Increased river bank erosion/

2. Rivers polluted with rubbish and sewage.

Question 15

What is the background information for the Abingdon soft engineering case study?
7

Answer 15

South-east England, built on flood plains of River Thames and Ock.
1500 properties - 1% chance of flooding.
Regular floods (7 from 1947-2007).
July 2007 bad flash floods - Thames and Ock burst their banks.
660 properties flooded.
Hard engineering considered but rejected.

Question 16

How are the land use management, flood warnings and soakaways used to protect Abingdon? 1-

Answer 16

1. Gravel soakaways - A34 road.
2. Low-value land allowed to flood e.g Tisley Park Sports.
3. Planning restrictions on Ock flood plain - new housing developments must have improved drainage systems.
4. Tesco - soakaways and permeable tarmac.
5. The Environment Agency’s Local Flood Warning Plan warns specific areas and provides 24 hr Floodline.
6. Land use restriction e.g planning permission refused on Thames flood plain.
7. Detailed advice on internet about reducing flood damage e.g raising cupboards.
8. Local voluntary flood wardens communicate advice and warnings.
9. Riparian buffer improvements.
10. Tree planting - reduces discharge.

Question 17

Evaluate Abingdon soft engineering strategy.

Answer 17

Difficult to measure success.
Several flood warning issued by Environment Agency in 2008.
Ock flood plain didn’t flood.
Thames flood plain did get flooded, but it was largely clear of developments due to land use management and planning restrictions.
2008 floods did less damage with minimal cost and disruption.
No lives lost and only a few injuries.
HOWEVER floods still do happen in Abingdon.

Question 18

What is the background information for the River Yangtze hard engineering case study?

Answer 18

6380km long, China. Third longest river in the world.
Seasonal flooding is common.
Rainy season June-August.
Five major floods between 1931-1998
1954 flood - covered 193,000km” land. 33,000 died. 18 million had to move. Covered city Wuhan for 3 months.
1998 flood - 3,000 died. 14 million homeless.
Flood protection - hard engineering.

Question 19

What are the hard engineering strategies for the River Yangtze case study?

Answer 19

46 dams.
Biggest Three Gorges Dam:
1. 101m high.
2. Reservoir - stores 22km” water.
3. Largest hydroelectric power station in the world - turns 26 turbines.
4. Locks built alongside the dam so ships can get past.
5. 3600km levees in middle and lower parts of the river.

Question 20

What are the positive effects of the hard engineering strategies of the River Yangtze?
3

Answer 20

1. Reduced flooding - 1/10 years, to 1/100 years.
2. Turbine energy - 22.5 gigawatts capacity (3% China’s demand).
3. Reduction in flooding - safer to navigate up the Yangtze.
   RIver shipping increase - bigger ships - reservoir is deeper than the old river.

Question 21

What are the negative effects of the dam and reservoir at the River Yangtze? 5

Answer 21

1. 1.3 - 2 million will have to relocate.
2. Reservoir will flood farmland, 650 factories and 1,300 sites of cultural and historic interest e.g Temple of Zhang Fei will be submerged.
3. Dam - trap sediment - cause build up - catastrophic flooding.
4. Dam could destroy habitats and endanger species e.g less than 100 baiji dolphins left - damage food supply.
5. Doesn’t protect everyone. Rising water levels in reservoir will increase flooding along the tributaries e,g the Daning River - increased riverbank erosion - causing collapses and landslides.