Flood

 

Flood is an overflow of water (or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is often dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering and public health. Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of flooding. Examples for human changes are land use alterations such as deforestation and removal of wetlands, alterations in waterway course or flood navigations like with levees. Global environmental issues also impact causes of floods, namely climate change which causes an intensification of the water cycle and sea level rise. For example, climate change makes extreme weather events more frequent and stronger. This leads to more intense floods and increased flood risk. Natural types of floods include river flooding, groundwater flooding coastal flooding and urban flooding sometimes known as flash flooding. Tidal flooding may include elements of both river and coastal flooding processes in estuary areas. There is also the intentional flooding of land that would otherwise remain dry. This may take place for agricultural, military, or river-management purposes. For instance, agricultural flooding may occur in preparing paddy fields for the growing of semi-aquatic rice in many countries. Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river, lake, sea or ocean. In these cases, the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual boundaries. Flooding may also occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground. This is called an areal flood. The size of a lake or other body of water naturally varies with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt. Those changes in size are however not considered a flood unless they flood property or drown domestic animals. Floods can also occur in rivers when the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river channel, particularly at bends or meanders in the waterway. Floods often cause devastation to homes and businesses if these buildings are in the natural flood plains of rivers. People could refrain from riverine flood devastation by moving away from rivers. However, people in many countries have traditionally lived and worked by rivers because the land is usually flat and fertile. Also, the rivers provide easy travel and access to commerce and industry. Flooding can damage property and also lead to secondary impacts. These include in the short term an increased spread of waterborne diseases and vector-borne diseases, for instance those diseases transmitted by mosquitos. Flooding can also lead to long-term displacement of residents. Floods are an area of study of hydrology and hydraulic engineering. A tremendous amount of the world's population lives in close proximity to major coastlines, while many major cities and agricultural areas are located near floodplains. There is significant risk for increased coastal and fluvial flooding due to changing climatic conditions. Today I read a news saying about the flood in Nepal. Very scary, right? So, to prevent floods, public awareness is compulsory. Do not litter. 5Rs should be applied in life. Report any suspicious activities like littering in public locations to the authorities. In the other hand, during floods, follow the evacuation procedures by the safety crews. Thank you.