DEFINITION

What is Flood ?
Flood is a state of high water level along a river channel or on the coast that
leads to inundation of land, which is not usually submerged.
Floods can form where there is no stream, as for example when abnormally
heavy precipitation falls on flat terrain at such a rate that the soil cannot absorb
the water or the water cannot run off as fast as it falls.
Can floods be manmade ?
Floods are caused not only by rain but also by human changes to the surface of
the earth. Farming, deforestation, and urbanization increase the runoff from rains;
thus storms that previously would have caused no flooding today inundate vast
areas.
Not only do we contribute to the causes of floods, but reckless building in
vulnerable areas, poor watershed management, and failure to control the
flooding also help create the disaster condition.
CAUSES
Some of the major causes are:
Heavy rainfall
Heavy siltation of the river bed reduces the water carrying capacity of the
rivers/stream.
Blockage in the drains lead to flooding of the area.
Landslides blocking the flow of the stream.
Construction of dams and reservoirs
In areas prone to cyclone, strong winds accompanied by heavy down pour along
with storm surge leads to
Flooding
IMPACT/EFFECT OF FLOOD
Impact on Built and Natural Environments
Flooding can have any of the following effects on housing or other small
buildings.
Houses washed away due to the impact of the water under high stream velocity.
The houses are commonly destroyed or dislocated so severly that their
reconstruction is not feasible.

Health-Related Effects
In floods, deaths usually exceed injuries. Surgical needs are low and are generally
only during the first 72 hours. Floods may create conditions that promote
secondary threats of waterborne and vectorborne diseases.
Impact on Agriculture
In most flood prone countries where economies are based on agriculture, the
largest economic flood-related losses are in the agricultural sector.
Obviously most losses to agriculture result from the drowning of crops.
Susceptibility to drowning depends on the type of crop and duration of flooding.
Some are quickly killed by a relatively small amount of superfluous water. Others
can resist as much as a few days of submersion.
Impact on Development
Widespread floods can have a significant effect on the long-term economic
growth of the affected region. Indirect and secondary effects on the local and
national economy may include reduction in family income, decline in the
production of business and industrial enterprises, inflation, unemployment,
increase in income disparities, and decline in national income.