Reading Exercise #11 | Causes and effects of floods

Causes of floods

The causes of floods can be natural and unnatural. It is natural when it is due to forces of nature. It is unnatural when it is due due to human activities. When there is excessive rainfall, the water level in riverbanks and in coastal areas increases, which lead to overflow of water into the nearby dry lands. Moreover, earthquakes can cause tsunamis in oceans, which then lead to flooding of lands near the beaches. In heavily populated cities, due to congested buildings and roadways, flooding happens as there is not enough room for water to drain. In such cases, clogged drainage systems lead to even more flooding in the area. In addition, global warming has resulted to the melting of glaciers, which causes rise of sea water levels. This also leads to flooding in the coastal areas. Deforestation also plays a major role in floods.

Effects of floods

Floods cause large scale destruction to life and property. Buildings, roads and bridges are heavily damaged by floods. Vast acres of crops are destroyed. Arable lands turn barren and clogged with salt. Countless homes and cattle get washed away. Electronic and digital communication seizes. At times, lives are lost. And it does not end there. After the flood, there is huge risk of spreading waterborne diseases. Scarcity of food and basic necessities arises. On the whole, floods cause multiple hardships and injure the livelihood of the people affected by it.

Conclusion

Effective weather forecasting systems should be maintained by the government for timely communication to and evacuation of affected people in flood prone areas. This will greatly help prevent the many losses society suffers due to floods.