Reducing The Effects Of Flooding Flashcards
What are the soft engineering options for reducing the risk of flooding?
Afforestation
Managing flooding (ecological flooding)
Planning
What is dam construction?
Dams are often built along the course of a river in order to control the amount of water discharge
Water is held back by the dam and realised in a controlled way
What are advantages/ disadvantages of dam control?
Advantages -
Water can be stored behind the dam in reservoirs
This water can be turned into hydroelectric power
It can also be used for recreation purposes
Disadvantages -
It is very expensive
Sediment gets trapped in the dam causes problems downstream
Settlements land may be lost when the river valley is flooding to form a reservoir
What is river engineering?
The river channel may be widened or deepened allowing it to carry more water
A river channel may be straightened so the water can move downstream quicker
What are advantages/disadvantages of river engineering?
Advantages -
The river can be altered to divert water away from settlements
Disadvantages -
Altering the river channel may lead to a greater risk of flooding downstream as the water is carried faster
What is afforestation?
Trees are planted near to the rivers, this means greater interception of rain water and lower river discharge
What are advantages/disadvantages of afforestation?
Advantages -
It is cheap
It helps the environment
Disadvantages -
It isn’t the best way to stop water from flooding over the river bank
What is planning when talking about reducing the effects of flooding?
Local authorities and the national government introduced polices to control urban development close to or on the floodplain
What are advantages/disadvantages of planning when talking about reducing the effects of flooding?
Advantages -
It reduces the chance of flooding and the risk of damage to property
Disadvantages -
There my become a shortage of housing
Controls my be harder in LEDC’s
What is managing flooding?
The river is allowed to flood naturally in some places to prevent flooding in other place
What are advantage/disadvantages of managed flooding?
Advantages -
It is almost free
It prevent flooding near big settlements
Disadvantages -
It could be hard to get it to flood in certain places
What are the hard engineering options for reducing the risk of flooding?
Dam construction
River engineering
