What Are The Flood Prevention Measures?
 

Flood Prevention

Floods primarily refer to the excess water present in water bodies that overflow and submerge other dry areas that are usually not submerged. This can occur due to several reasons. Heavy melting of ice, continued rainfall, shifting of river courses, wildfires, tsunamis are a few of the responsible factors.

Floods claim large amounts from the humans in terms of lives and belongings. Destruction caused by severe floods is often in terms of billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Due to the unmatched wrath of floods, Flood Prevention has become one of the prime concerns of the scientific community. Engineers and innovators have always been looking for ways to minimise the damage caused by floods.

Flood Prevention Measures:

    • Sea/ Coastal Defence Walls:  Tide gates and sea walls are built with the view to stop coastal water from entering the surrounding shores and hence preventing floods. These walls and gates keep the sea water at bay even when sudden rise in water levels are affected by the tidal waves or any climatic factor. These gates and walls help protect the surrounding areas from being flooded, protecting human lives and belongings.

    • Retention walls: These walls have lakes, canals, dams or retention ponds built around them. The excess water that is due to flow and flood areas, are stored and hence prevent areas from being flooded. When the water level starts to recede, the stored water is released and the containments readied to be are used.

    • Town Planning: The buildings when built in a town or city should be built with a proper planning. Indiscriminate erection of buildings may lead to blockages of water ways and drainage systems. This can lead to water logging and flooding in these areas. While erecting buildings, proper permission should be taken from the concerned authority. The authorities should look into the plans of the building and check if it is in unison with the drainage and water ways. If the erection of building in anyway disrupts the drainage, then the plans should be asked to alter or the permit to proceed should not be issued.

    • Encourage Vegetation: The presence of trees check the free flow of water into the water bodies by slowing the movement of water. This reduction in momentum helps the water to seep by giving them ample amount of time. As the seepage happens, a lot of water forms ground water while some flow into the rivers. Hence vegetation contribute greatly to Flood Prevention. Without vegetation all the water flows into water bodies, making them overflow.