WHY PEOPLE CONTINUE LIVING ON FLOOD PLAINS AND DELTAS

It includes benefits and other personal reasons like;

o Availability of fertile soils.
The silt deposited on flood plains and deltas is very fertile which attracts farming
activities.

o Ready source of food

People obtain fish and sea food from the delta which a reliable source of proteins.

o Availability of cheap flat land.

Flood plains are government property hence people live there for free because they
cannot afford to buy their own land.
It is also easy to build and practice farming on flat land.

o Reliable access to water.

People easily obtain fresh water from the river for various uses. After treating or boiling
the water it is suitable for consumption.

o Reliable access to means of transport.

They can also use the river for transportation. e.g.; boats and movement of logs.

o Some people are ignorant and risk takers.

Some people do not care what happens to them and others like to experience the
floods. Some also have faith that the floods may not affect them or may not occur again.

o Lack of options and family ties.

Some people have no other places to relocate to hence end up living there. Some may
not relocate due to family memories.

o Beautiful scenery.
Some people live here for the opportunities that come along with the beauty of the
deltas and flood plains like tourism.

Student activity
Challenges of living on flood plains and deltas.
 CASE STUDY
FLOODING
It is the overflow of water on land.

CAUSES OF FLOODING.
• Continuous heavy rainfall

Too much rainfall over many days can cause flooding in an area.
• Increased snow and ice melting.

Ice caps and glaciers melt due to global warming increasing the amount of
water on land, in rivers and water bodies that can cause flooding.
• Raised river bed

Excess river load deposited on the river bed causes the water in the
channel to overflow the banks causing flooding.
• Reduced infiltration

This happens when soils are impermeable or completely soaked with

water. It causes water to stagnate on the surface causing flooding
• Human mismanagement

This includes all human activities that facilitate flooding e.g.; building on
flood plains, deforestation, urbanization, farming along rivers etc.
• Dam collapsing

Dams are used to hold water along river channels. Poorly constructed
dams can sometimes collapse causing floods.
• storm surge / tsunami along the coast

When a tsunami occurs in the ocean, a lot of water is moved towards land
causing flooding.
• Low height above sea level.
Lowlands are often hit by floods because all water on land during rains and
melting of ice is drained there.

Student activity
(c) For a named area you have studied, explain the causes of flooding.

Name of area[7]

Effects of river flooding

• deaths

• damage of property

• increased waterborne diseases

• loss of jobs

• trauma on victims

• Disruption of businesses and social affairs.

• source of fertile soils

Class work
Describe the above effects using your own words

Student activity

(c) For a named area you have studied, describe the problems caused by
river flooding.

Area studied [7]

11G1
Reasons why effect of floods are highly felt in LEDCs than MEDCs.
An example of an LEDC that floods a lot is Bangladesh due to
Brahmaputra River and an MEDC is England due to river Thames.
The reasons include;
• lack of relocation programs

• lack of flood control methods

• limited precautions taken before floods

• long time taken to respond after floods

• lack of prediction and warning systems

• ignorance and lack of choices

• poor housing and infrastructure

• lack of trained personnel to attend to the victims

• lack of recovery funds and aid

• lack of education programs on safety

Reasons why effect of floods are less felt in MEDCs than LEDCs.
An example of an LEDC that floods a lot is Bangladesh due to
Brahmaputra River and an MEDC is England due to river Thames.
The reasons include;
• better relocation programs

• better flood control methods

• better precautions taken before floods

• short time taken to respond after floods

• better prediction and warning systems

• better housing and infrastructure

• better trained personnel to attend to the victims

• better recovery funds and aid

• more education programs on safety

Class work 1
Describe using your own words.

Class work 2
Describe reasons why effects of floods are less felt in MEDCs than
LEDCs

Flood control methods

Include both hard and soft engineering methods [refer from coasts].
Student activity
Define hard and soft engineering methods.
They include;
o Construction of dams
Dams are constructed across rivers to hold excess water in a river.
Once collected, dams are designed to release the water back into the
river at a controlled speed or divert the water elsewhere for other uses
eg generation of HEP or farming.
 o Constructing floodways/ diversion channels
They are manmade channels built from the main channel to divert
excess water from the main channel.
They create a safe path for the excess water instead of
overflowing to the surrounding land.
They restore rivers to their natural water level.
 o Construction of flood walls/ embankments
Walls are built on river banks to help hold more water within the river
channel.
The walls raise the level of the river banks.
They act as levees.
 o Strengthening levees
After levees form along river banks during floods, more rocks added and
arranged to make the levees stronger and higher.
They help raise the level of riverbanks which helps retain more water within
the channel.

o Widening and deepening of river channels

This includes removal of materials deposited on the river bed and digging
some parts of the banks.
It ensures that the river can hold more water within the channel.
 o Planting trees along the banks.
Trees help in absorbing excess water hence reducing the risk of floods
occurring in an area.E.g. eucalyptus trees are known to absorb so much
water.
They can however cause drying up of a river channel.

o Straightening of river channels

Bends within rivers are straightened to help drain flood water faster without
obstruction.
It increases the speed of water within the channel.

o Restrict construction on flood plains.

The government fines people mismanaging flood plains.
This is because it increases surface run off due to concrete surfaces which
causes floods.
It also ensures that vegetation is not cut down hence can absorb excess
water from the river reducing risk of floods.

Class work
Drainage basin mismanagement
Define
Describe causes and solutions

Student activity

(c) For a named river you have studied, explain what has been done to
reduce flooding.

Name of river [7]

 (c) Describe the advantages and difficulties for people of living on a river
delta. You should refer to a delta which you have studied. [7]

Weathering and Mass Wasting

Weathering.
It is the disintegration/breaking down of rocks into small pieces in situ i.e. in their
place of origin.
It is the decay or decomposition of rocks in situ.

Types of weathering.

1. Physical Weathering
2. Chemical weathering
3. Biological weathering.

1. Physical weathering.
o Also called mechanical weathering.
o It is the breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces in situ due to physical factors
like changes in rainfall and temperature.
o It does not change the chemical composition of the rock.
o Examples of physical weathering are;
 Freeze and thaw
 Exfoliation

A] Freeze and thaw

It is also called frost shattering.

How and where it occurs

It occurs in cold climate areas.
It occurs due to changes in temperature and rainfall.
Areas with no vegetation have exposed rocks with cracks.
After rains, water fills up the cracks on rocks.
At night, water turns into ice, expands and exerts pressure on the sides of the
crack widening it.
During the day, the ice in the cracks melts and penetrates further into the crack.
Repeated freezing and thawing of the rainthwater in the crack widens it until the
rock splits into pieces.
The broken pieces of rocks are called scree.
 NB
Freezing
Solidification of water in cracks.

Thawing
Melting of water in cracks

B] Exfoliation

Also called Onion weathering because the rocks peel off like onions.

How and where it occurs.

It occurs in very warm climates like deserts.
It occurs due to the extreme changes in temperatures.
Exposed rocks are heated during the day and cooled at night.
The surface layers of the rocks heat up and expand rapidly during the
day and cool and contract rapidly at night than inner layers.
The repeated expanding and contracting of the outer rock layers
weakens causing them to peel off.
This leaves behind more rounded rocks and hills.
The peeled off pieces pile at the base of the rounded hills and rock.
 2.Biological Weathering
It is the breakdown of rocks in situ by living things. Eg. animals, plants and
people.

o As tree roots penetrates into the rocks, weakens them by widening cracks,
breaking them down into smaller pieces.
o Big animals and people create pressure on rock as they walk on them breaking
the rocks into smaller pieces. Some human activities like construction and
farming also breaks down rocks.
o Burrowing animals like earthworms loosen rocks breaking them down to smaller
pieces.
 3.Chemical Weathering
It is the breaking down of rocks in situ caused by chemical changes within the
rock.
It is common in warm and moist areas (climates) because such conditions
encourage chemical reactions to occur.

o Examples of chemical weathering are;

 Solution weathering
 Carbonation weathering.

A] Solution weathering
It is breaking down of rocks in situ by dissolving them in rainwater.
Mainly occurs in limestone areas.
Limestone is dissolved by water breaking the rocks down.

B] Carbonation weathering
It is breaking down of rocks in situ caused by carbonic acid from acid rain.
Carbon dioxide dissolves in rain water to form carbonic acid.
The carbonic acid reacts with rocks weakening them causing them to break down
into pieces.

Work to do [2012v12]
(b) Study Photograph G (Insert), which shows rocks where biological weathering is taking place.

(i) Describe how biological weathering has occurred in the area shown. [3]

(ii) Explain why biological and chemical weathering are rapid in areas which are hot and wet.[5]

(c) Describe and explain the process of freeze-thaw weathering. Include fully labeled diagrams.
[7]

2012v13
(c) Explain why weathering of rocks is more rapid in humid tropical regions than in
temperate regions. You should refer to examples of different types of weathering in your answer
[7]