Flood prevention methods
Flood can be defined as an
overflow of a water-body (such as a river, lake or sea), which may result in the
submersion of the nearby low land. This can happen because of a variety of
reasons, such as heavy rainfall, melting snow, tsunamis, as well as structural
failure of water containing and controlling bodies (such as dams, levees, canals
or artificial lakes). A flood can cause human and livestock casualties; destroy
crops and forest cover; as well as damage private property & civic infrastructure,
besides having an indirect impact due to contamination of drinking water,
epidemics and food scarcity – all of which can stall economic growth.
Flood Prevention Methods
As a result of the huge impact
that floods can have, situations that could potentially lead to such a natural
disaster should be carefully monitored and controlled, while also instituting
disaster management measures and taking appropriate mitigation measures, so as
to limit the damage. Therefore, all the requisite checks and measures that can
aid in flood monitoring and warning, as well as prevention in certain cases,
are of utmost importance.
Structural Measures to Prevent
Floods
A civil structure that acts as
barricades to the overflowing water is an important flood prevention mechanism.
This can be achieved by having levees and dams across water-bodies.
Flood forecasting and warning can
also play a crucial role in ensuring timely action to prevent flood, or
limiting the impact of such floods if they do occur. Typical forecasting
measures will include actively monitoring the water-level, or closely observing
metrological patterns so as to predict unusual weather conditions that can
potentially cause floods.
Adaptation of Flood Prone
Areas
Since floods are a reality of
nature that cannot always be done away with, people need to also adapt to
living with such natural hazards, while becoming sensitive to the fact that
unscrupulous development (resulting in depletion of forest cover, encroachment
of banks and river-sides) severely increases the likelihood of the occurrence of
such events.
Other problems related to
flooding (such as disruption of the sewage network, landslides, erosion,
pollution, widespread epidemics and stalling of all forms of transport) also
require proactive measures, if the impact is to be minimized. Therefore, any
flood management initiative needs to focus on preventing such occurrences where
possible, while ensuring that alternatives are made easily available otherwise.
Concerted Human Action
Human population also needs to
take more affirmative action, when it comes to preparing for natural disasters
such as floods. Any flood prevention strategy should be targeted at the whole
river basin or catchment area, and encourage a collaborative action plan (even
trans-national measures, where required) to better manage water, land and other
resources that can get affected by floods. A coordinated action over the long
term and on a sustained basis is more likely to result in the best defense
mechanism against such natural disasters.
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