Floods
Causes of Floods
Effects of Floods
Types of Floods
Engr. Jabir Ali
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Flood
A flood is an unusual high stage of a river due to runoff from rainfall
and/or melting of snow in quantities too great to be confined in the
normal water surface elevations of the river or stream.
A flood is an overflow of water onto land that is normally dry.
They can cover an area with just a few inches of water or they can bring
enough water to cover the roof of a house.
Floods can last days, weeks or even months
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Flood
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Causes of Flood
Silting of the river bed
Inadequate capacity within the bank
River bank erosion
Flow obstructions
Heavy rainfall
Earthquake
Land slide
Vegetation
Breaking of dams and bunds
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Constructions in the river bed
EFFECTS
Primary effects
Physical damage :- damage to structures, including
bridges, buildings, sewerage systems.
Secondary effects
Water supplies :- contamination of water, clean drinking
water will become scarce
Diseases :- unhygienic conditions spread of water borne
diseases
Crops and food supplies :- shortage of food crop can be
caused due to loss of entire harvest
Transport :- transport links destroyed. So hard to get
emergency aid to those who need it.
Tertiary and long term effects
Economic :- economic hardship due to temporary decline
in tourism, food shortage leading to
price increase etc
Psychological :- f looding can be highly traumatic for
individuals, in particular where deaths, serious injuries
and loss of property occurs.
MANAGEMENT OF FLOODS
Following are some control methods to prevent f lood.
1. Delay in reaching of the surface run off water to the
river.
Forests prevent flood in several
ways
I Forest increase infiltration of rain water and there by
decrease the quantity of surface run off water.
II Forests prevent soil erosion thus prevent silting of
the river and other water bodies.
III The reduction of silting and sedimentation in the
river increases. Water holding capacity of rivers and
move water is adjusted and regulated.
Management of rapid discharge of
river water :-
Rapid f low of water can be facilitated by reducing
meandering of the river.
Reduction of water volume of the
river
Volume of water in the river an be regulated by
constructing f lood control storage reservoirs, such as
dams.
Minimization of flood effects
By constructing levees and embankment using
stones, rock pieces, cement, concrete etc.
It is possible to prevent outflow of water during
rains.
CONTROL
In many countries across the world rivers, prone to
f lood are often carefully managed
Defenses such as levees, bunds and reservoirs, are used
to prevent rivers from bursting their banks.
TYPES OF FLOODS
•Flash floods
•River floods
•Coastal Floods
Flash Floods: Flash Floods can cause water to rise significantly in a short
amount of time after heavy rainfall, tropical storm, failure of dams or levees
or releases of ice dams. And it causes the greatest damages to society.
Areas or cities near rivers are often at high risk of flash floods
River floods
River floods occur when the water level in the river, lake or stream rises
and overflows onto the surrounding banks, shores.
The rise of water level could be due to excessive rain or snowmelt.
Coastal Floods
Coastal flooding is the inundation of land areas along the coast by sea
water.
Common causes of coastal flooding are intense windstorm events
occurring at same as high tide ( storm surge) and Tsunamis
Design Flood
� The maximum flood that any structure can safely pass is called the
‘design flood’ and is selected after consideration of economic and hydrologic
factors.
�
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ESTIMATION OF PEAK FLOOD
� The maximum flood discharge (peak flood) in a river may be
determined by the following methods
� (i) Physical indications of past floods
� (ii) Empirical formulae and curves
� (iii) Rational method
� (iv) Unit hydrograph
� (v) Flood Frequency studies
