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Managing Flooding - Coggle Diagram
Managing Flooding
Hard engineering:
aim to reduce the effects of flooding by building man made constructions that control a river's flow.
Embankments
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However, they are expensive to build and if the banks do burst, then flooding can still happen.
Channel Straightening
Bends and meanders are removed by constructing man-made, straight channels connecting the meanders.
This means that straight channels reduce flood risk by keeping the water flowing through an area quickly. Unlike meanders, they are bendy so the water travels slower, which there is a bigger chance of flood.
But, downstream areas are more at risk of flooding and erosion because more water flows there more quickly.
Dams and Reservoirs
A dam is a large earth, stone or concrete wall built across a river in the upper course. Behind dam is a reservoir forms.
A reservoir is an area is filled up with water when there is a lot of rainfall, it can reduce flooding risk. The water can either be drunk or used to produce energy(hydroelectric power).
However, dams are expensive and habitats and towns can be destroyed, or migrate, by the flooding needed to create a reservoir
Flood Relief Channel
Flood relief channels are secondary channels built alongside rivers that divert water away from particular areas or take it somewhere else if there is too much rainfall
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But, the river discharge will increase at the junction between the relief channel and the river it links up with.
Soft Engineering:
aim to reduce the effects of flooding using our knowledge of nature and the natural courses of rivers
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Flood plain zoning
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Areas close the river and at risk from flooding can be kept clear of high value land uses such as housing and industries.
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Flood warning
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Rivers and drainage basins are remotely monitored using satellites to measure, predict and identify areas at risk from flooding.
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