Rivers Flashcards
Causes of Bangladesh floods
Low lying
Monsoon season – 35cm rain in one day
At the delta of the Ganges
Causes of Cockermouth floods
Highest ever recorded rain in 24 hours in the UK
Steep hillsides
Ground already saturated
Effects of Bangladesh floods
60% of country underwater 750 deaths £7 billion to schools and hospitals 30 million made homeless 100,000 suffered from diarrhoea in Dhaka Crops destroyed especially rice
Effects of Cockermouth floods
1300 affected 1 death £100 million cost All of Cumbria's 1800 bridges had to be checked Pastures lost
Immediate responses to Bangladesh floods
Food, medicine, clothes and blankets distributed – hard as infrastructure had been destroyed
Water purification tablets
Short term responses to Bangladesh floods
Rebuilt homes themselves
UN appeal raised 20% of its $74 million target
Long term responses to Bangladesh floods
Flood warning systems and plans created
Embankments built for cattle and shelters for people
Reducing deforestation
Immediate responses to Cockermouth floods
200 people airlifted from the roofs of their houses
People taken to emergency shelters
Short term responses to Cockermouth floods
Flooded building assessed
Some businesses provided with temporary trading in the town centre
Long term responses to Cockermouth floods
Main bridge over Derwent closed for two months
Several roads had to be re-surfaced
Reasons for Lake Vrynwy dam
In the 19th century Liverpool was rapidly industrialising with a growing population. This meant it started to suffer from water deficit. However, not far from Liverpool in mid Wales there was a surplus of water so a reservoir was created from which water could be transferred to Liverpool. Wales was the perfect location because it receives lots of rain as a result of the relief and nearness to the Atlantic.
Social impacts of Lake Vrynwy
People lost homes/ livelihoods to create the reservoir
10 farm houses and a chapel were destroyed
900,000 people get the water
Tourism creates jobs
Economic impacts of Vrynwy
Cost was £22 million in today’s money
Loss of 4.5km ^2 of farmland- lost main source of income for many farmers in the area
Aqueduct requires lots of money to maintain
200,000 tourists visit per year, bringing lots of money into the area
Environmental impacts of Vrynwy
lake is 4.5km^2, so many habitats were destroyed to create the reservoir
90 species of bird now breed on the reserve
The area is now a nature reserve, attracting many tourists
The dam controls the water flow in the river, so the risk of flooding downstream in the winter is heavily reduced
