River And Water Management Flood Control Environmental Sciences Essay

Floods are a major concern in many parts of the universe due to the many losingss experienced in clip of inundations. Therefore, flood direction techniques are really of import in countries that are prone to frequent implosion therapy. Flood direction techniques are constructions designed with the purpose of incorporating floodwater in order to command flood plains. The designing of inundation control techniques entails gauging the degrees of H2O that causes inundations and so mensurating the needed tallness that will make a on the job inundation defence. Flood defences are strong barriers that prevent H2O from deluging flood plains ( Woods & A ; Woods 2007, p.5 ) .
Floods by and large occur when fluxing surface H2O spills over the keeping Bankss into dry land. Floods are a natural happening in about all river systems. Areas that are prone to deluging include those that are located downstream of dikes and low lying countries. Deluging causes huge losingss which include human and carnal life, dirt eroding, amendss of belongingss, devastation of flora and other environmental amendss. Besides, countries that are affected by inundations could besides be prone to drouths. This can even do farther loss of human and carnal lives. Flood Waterss are normally polluted with harmful bacteriums ensuing from sewerage. This means that people affected by the inundations are at greater hazards of acquiring morbific diseases ( Proverbs, et al. , 2011, p. 221 ) .
However, inundations besides have positive impacts on ecosystems. One benefit from deluging includes more fresh H2O for domestic and irrigation use. Other benefits include big sedimentations of minerals and foods into affected countries. Apart from these, inundations besides help to better the status of H2O ecosystems. However, they can be considered to be the most detrimental compared to volcanic eruptions and temblors due to their frequences. Therefore, rigorous steps must be in topographic point to forestall the monolithic losingss occurred during inundations ( Gruntfest & A ; Handmer, 2001, p.12 ) .

Methods used to command inundations
Techniques that are applied in commanding inundations involve the version of the river environment and countries which are close to the river. Flood control techniques can be applied on the river channel, floodway or on the flood plain ( Ghosh, 1997, p.55 ) .
Techniques applied in flood plains
Floodplains are countries that prevarication below the inundation lift and wholly on the floodway and river channel. The bulk of techniques applied on flood plains lie far from the river but they are designed to cut down inundation harm.
Levee/Floodwall around constructions
This technique involves the building of a levee/floodwall about structures that are located in flood plains. Levees can either be lasting or impermanent. Construction of the levee normally requires the usage of strong, unreal or natural stuff that can digest force per unit area from the inundations ( Hyndman & A ; Hyndman, 2010, p.356 ) . The rule of utilizing levees and other barriers is to raise the tallness of constructions located in flood plains which floodwater must so mount in order cause implosion therapy. These constructions are at that place to offer protection to constructions. However, they put other constructions at a high hazard of deluging due to the so increased H2O keeping in the flood plains. Furthermore, serious harm to protected constructions can so happen when the levees are unable to keep back floodwater. This is because the force per unit area that the inundations hit the construction is highly high compared to when there is no barrier ( Green, 2004, p.36 ) .
The usage of levees, butchs and floodwalls has a negative impact on the natural river procedures ( Harmancioglu, 1994, p.42 ) . Ideally, developed H2O spills should organize a natural channel which provides a manner for the inundations to flux. Therefore, levees would cut down the ability of the flood plains to treat floodwaters. The inability of the floodwaters to flux freely within the flood plains would interfere with fish in their aquatic home ground. The river would react by making other channels in order to let extra H2O to flux. The developed channels clear the backwater every bit good as cut down habitat complications ( Harmancioglu, 1994, p.43 ) .
Off-stream detainment pool
The chief purpose of making detainment pools in flood plains is to roll up the floodwaters once the river has reached its maximal capacity. Detention pools are constructed off from the floodway but must be within the flood plain catchment. When directing H2O into the detainment ponds it will hold an impact on cut downing the sum of H2O a river carries. This will hold a negative impact on natural river procedures due to the decrease of H2O fluxing downstream. Reduced sum of downstream flow could so do a decrease in sediment conveyance, which may take to the rise of the land degree of the channel and deposition of all right deposits. In add-on, leting H2O to flux into a detainment pool may do more H2O to flux into the pool than expected. This may take to an increased development of river channels ( Ali, 2002, p8.3 ) .
Detention pools besides create new milieus for the genteelness and maturing of fish. However, the building of detainment channels must be done in a manner that creates a connexion between the pool and the mainstream so that the rivers natural environment can be maintained. Severe harm to the environment can happen when the detainment ponds break down taking to deluging in the flood plains.
Techniques applied on floodway
The floodway is made of river Bankss and the active channel. In general, the floodway forms the portion of land that is instantly following to the river. This piece of land allows flood Waterss to go through without raising the inundations depth upriver. One feature of floodways is the presence of little Bankss, either due to cuts made by old inundations or natural levees due to sedimentations from old floodwater ( Mambretti, 2011, p.66 ) .
Reducing the bank incline
This technique consists of cutting the riverside backwards to bring forth a gentler incline ( Masoudian, 2009, p.14 ) . It may affect replanting or resurfacing the bare bank utilizing stuffs afterwards. Reducing the bank incline will hold an impact on the increasing inundation transit at the channel degree due to the increased bank breadth. This normally happens because cut downing the bank incline increases the surface country of the bank channel, which so increases the volume of bank flow. However, if slope decrease is done through seting flora, it is likely that the bank stableness will be increased. This has an consequence of making a natural containment, which reduces the speed of H2O. A decrease in the speed of H2O so decreases the rates of dirt and bank eroding. Vegetation along river Bankss may besides pin down deposits within flows, which may so take to a buildup of Bankss, increasing the effectivity of Bankss in commanding inundations ( Masoudian, 2009, p.16 ) .
The fact that cut downing the bank inclines so besides reduces eroding along the river Bankss has a negative impact on natural river processes. Without eroding on the river Bankss there will be a decreased sum of deposits, a decreased degree of wood dust and a decreased sum of channel migration. Therefore, the eroding happening of course along river Bankss is critical in keeping an active balance within river systems. Aquatic home grounds will besides be affected ; cut downing bank inclines has a negative impact of uncluttering countries where fish may hole up during the twenty-four hours in order to be safe from marauders. Juvenile fish normally hide in undercut river Bankss doing it an indispensable constituent of an aquatic home ground ( Masoudian, 2009, p.17 ) .
Reinforcing riversides
This technique involves adding supportive stuff to riverbanks in order to increase their stableness and in defying inundation flows. The most normally used support method involves seting natural flora as it acts as a stabilizer and increases the ability of riversides to command inundations. Planting flora on riversides can be done through hydro seeding, which involves assorted methods to add a mixture of H2O, fertiliser and seeds into riversides. The deep-rooted seeds will so turn and organize a huge web of root systems. The root system helps in keeping the dirt together, which so strengthens the riversides. The other method used to present works stuff on riversides is manus seting. In this technique, mature workss are inserted into riversides to go on with their growing ( Stokes, et al. , 2007, p.50 ) .
Planting mature workss has the advantage of supplying immediate protection against inundations through flow decrease. The other method involves the usage of works mats, which are either natural or man-made stuffs implanted with works seeds and fertilisers. The mats are so spread on the riversides, and so the lacrimation procedure follows to let the seeds to shoot and back up the undermentioned growing. Apart from watering the works mats, continued instabilities in the river degree can assist in sprouting and back uping growing ( Beek, et al. , 2008, p.33 ) .
The chief impact of presenting workss along river Bankss is the formation of strong riversides that can defy force per unit area from fluxing H2O. The other impact is the bar of enhanced channel migration. Floods that may happen along Bankss with sufficient works stuff may be less terrible compared to those happening in countries without works stabilizers. The usage of works stabilizers provides a durable solution to command of inundations. This technique besides offers an environmental friendly method of inundation control, which is easy to keep. Continued additions of flora along riversides additions channel raggedness and reduces the H2O speed. The usage of workss besides comes with the advantage of supplying nutrient for the aquatic life in the protected rivers. Fish may besides happen a natural home ground in the huge root system generated by workss ( Beek, et al. , 2008, p.34 ) .
Gabions
Gabions are constructed utilizing wire mesh baskets that are filled with rocks of two-six inches. Like workss, gabions are meant to beef up river Bankss, which boost ‘s the river Bankss ability to defy force per unit area from fluxing H2O. However, for gabions to be effectual workss should be added to them. Gabions besides deteriorate in clip, which means that replacings are required when they stop working decently. The usage of gabions reduces the natural eroding that occurs along riversides. This so reduces the sum of deposits delivered to downstream home grounds. In add-on, flows that are deflected by the gabions may make new river channels ( Mascarenhas, 2011, p.82 ) .
Gabions besides lead to an addition in H2O speed, which has the disadvantage of cut downing the sum of backwater that is indispensable for the endurance of fish and other aquatic life. Well-designed gabions may function as a dependable beginning for engendering crushed rock every bit good as home grounds for aquatic life.
Techniques applied along the river channel
Sediment trap/mining
This technique involves unearthing or dredging a depression on the river bottom. Construction of deposit traps requires the proper appraisal of deposit burden within a river in times of implosion therapy. Care of sediment traps require continued excavation of deposits after every serious inundation event. Sediment excavation reduces the sum of deposit sedimentations in the river channel, which in bend increases the channel volume every bit good as the inundation transit. Removing deposits could merely hold a short term impact of improved inundation transit because of the continued deposition of deposits downstream. Therefore, continued remotion of deposits is necessary to forestall incidences of implosion therapy ( Mascarenhas, 2011, p.105 ) .
Removal of deposits within the river channel affects natural river processes. One consequence of deposit excavation is the alteration of the channel morphology. Any alterations in the channel morphology affect the manner the H2O flow and the river bed interact with each other. Removing deposits from the river channel changes the channel gradient. These alterations so have farther impacts on the gradient both upstream and downstream. An addition in the gradient in one location of the river may take to the formation of a “ 5 point ” or otherwise known as a “ nick point ” . This leads to increased eroding in the channel, which extends to a point where the gradient is stable or where there is bedrock resistant to eroding ( Raudkivi, 1993, p.35 ) .
The remotion of deposits affects aquatic home grounds in several ways. When all right deposits are removed, there is a creative activity of a spawning home ground for a assortment of fish species. On the other manus, remotion of engendering crushed rock reduces the degree of engendering home grounds ( Raudkivi, 1993, p.41 ) .
Flow realignment
This technique of inundation control involves the excavation of new and deeper channels on the river bed but with a different place compared to the bing channels. When flow realignment is done to increase inundation transit, there is a decrease in frequence and badness of inundations. Flow realignment creates different constructions for the river flow. This interferes with natural river processes both upstream and downstream. The most important impact of flow realignment is evidently on aquatic home grounds. The usage of heavy equipment to do flow realignments creates perturbations on the river bed ; this alters bing aquatic home grounds. Therefore, use of flow realignment techniques needs thorough appraisal of possible impacts on the aquatic ecosystem ( Fleming, 2002, p.47 ) .
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