FLOOD IS EVERYBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY

Flood is one of the most common natural disasters that threats human. Every year flood destroys human settlement, sometimes costing lives. Flood itself is a natural process. But even so, the development of human civilization also play a great role in the making of flood. Thus human need to put effort in order to minimize flood.

There are many reasons for a flood to occur. Natural causes of flood might come from rapid ice melting in the mountain summits or heavy rain. Both reason trigger massive water current which the river or steam could not handle. As a result water level rise and water finally spills to villages nearby.

The first two reasons though, don’t really harm human since it is naturally occurring. Unfortunately causes that are resulting from human growth, add the list of flood causes.

Urbanization

As people move to the city, more and more building are being built. As more building appeared, more open land is being covered by concrete blocks. The covering of these open land results in less water infiltration. So when flood occur the water could not go into the Earth.

2.       Deforestation

Cutting of trees might not get rid of open areas as in the case of urbanization. However the open area left after deforesting leaves soil vulnerable to erosion. Tree roots, which used to hold together soil, disappear. More soil eroded to the river decreasing the river’s volume. Thus flood will occur more often.

 

3.       Dumping the river

Similar to deforestation, dumping in rivers also decreases the river’s ability to transmit water. But dumping is also more dangerous because the dumps are toxic. When flood occur, contaminated water spread throughout the human settlement, very often causing deceases.

4.       Dam failure

This reason might be the least common but very dangerous when it occur. Huge amount of water which are held back behind the dam wall suddenly burst-down the stream.

Engineers have come up into brilliant solutions to flood such as canalization. However it will not become a permanent solution if humans are still dumping rubbish to the river or cutting too much trees or building too much concrete block without leaving any open space.

The four reasons mentioned above should be taken into everyone’s mind. Because preventing flood is not only the duty of certain job. Everyone must take their part, even children.