Flooding

Human Causes of Flooding

Human Factors:

• Deforestation

Trees protect the ground. However, people cut down trees for timber, firewood, ,ore farmland and also building sites. Without vegetation cover, rain water flows down the slopes rapidly. As a result, a large quantity of water flows into the river within a short time, causing a rapid rise in the water level of the river. In addition, the soil carried by rain water will be deposited in the river, making it shallower and narrower. There will be a higher risk of flooding.

• Poor Farming Practice

The less developed countries usually have a high rate of population increase. To increase food production, people need to farm on steep slopes and infertile land. Overcultivation and overgrazing occur and rasult in vegetation loss. The risk if flooding becomes higher.

The soil lossens as a result of overcultivation and is easily washed away by water. This may cause silting of rivers, and flooding may result.

Keeping too many animals on a prasture may lead to overgrazing. Without vegetation to protect the soil, the soil is easily washed away. Silting pf river occurs, thus, causing flooding.

• Dense settlement on the floodplain

A fllodplain provides fertile soil for farming. As a result, there are usually densw settlements on it. However, this affects the drainage on the floodplain. It may lead to flooding which will bring great losses of people.