Flood

Floods occur when excessive rainfall in a particular region results in the overflow of water on the land that is mostly dry. It can also occur due to the overflow of water from water bodies like river, ocean and lake. Floods are known to cause mass destruction. In certain regions, the destruction caused is so severe that it takes years to repair the loss.

Causes of Flood

Here is a closer look at the various causes of flood:

Heavy Rains

Flood like situation arises each time the downpour is more than the drainage system can absorb. At times, heavy rainfall occurring for a short period of time can cause flood while on other occasions light rainfall that goes on for days may result in flood like situation.

Melting of Snow

The mountains covered with snow during the winter season begin to melt as the temperature rises. The sudden melting of the ice usually causes the temperature to rise and this results in enormous movement of water into the plains. The areas that do not have proper drainage system to get rid of the excessive water face flood. This is often referred to as snowmelt flood.

Breaking of Dam

Dams are created to hold water that flows down from a highland. The power in the water is employed to turn propellers for the generation of electricity. At times the dams break as they are unable to hold large amount of water thereby resulting in flood in the nearby areas. At times, excessive water is deliberately released from the dam so as to stop it from breaking. This may also result in flood.

Overflow of Water Bodies

Water bodies such as rivers may overflow at times and cause flood like situation in the nearby areas. The low-lying areas near the rivers are worst impacted during this time as the water flows downstream.

Winds in the Coastal Region

Strong winds and hurricanes have the capacity of carrying the sea water to the dry coastal lands and this causes flood. This can cause severe damage to the coastal regions. Hurricanes and Tsunamis are known to have caused major devastation in the coastal lands.

Global Warming: The Main Cause of Flood

The frequency of floods has increased in the recent past. It is said that the average sea temperature has increased a great deal due to global warming and this has resulted in the increased rate and sternness of tropical storms in the Caribbean. These storms are a cause of heavy downpour in the countries in their path. Global warming that is causing a rise in the temperature in the atmosphere is also a cause of the melting of glaciers and ice caps that is again a cause of flood in many regions. This is said to have a major impact on the polar ice caps in the times to come and the situation is likely to worsen.

The overall climatic conditions on earth have undergone a major change and global warming is said to be a cause of this transformation. While certain areas experience extreme floods others experience drought.

Conclusion

Though we cannot do much about the rain or the melting of the glaciers however we can certainly build good drainage systems to deal with the water they bring along. Many countries, such as Singapore that receive heavy rainfall for most part of the year, have really good drainage system. They come out clean even after days of heavy downpour. The government of India must also build good drainage system in order to avoid the problem of flood and the damage it does to the affected regions.