• There are some ways to control the flooding

• Here is some ways to manage flooding

Flood managment methods
• River Management. Often these steps involve trying to lengthen the
amount of time it takes for water to reach the river channel, thereby
increasing the lag time.
• Hard engineering methods tend to be more expensive and have a
greater impact on the river and the surrounding landscape. They will
require more extensive alterations to the river to try to stop flooding.
• Soft engineering methods are usually more ecologically sensitive.
They will attempt to manage flood rather than prevent it.
Hard engeniering
• Dams
• Built along the course of a river to control the amount of discharge.
Water is held back by the dam and released in a controlled way.
• Water is usually stored in a reservoir behind the dam. This water can
then be used to generate hydroelectric power or for recreation
purposes.
• Expensive to build.
• Settlements and agricultural land may be lost when the river valley is
flooded to form a reservoir.
• Flood walls
• Can be used to raise the height of the river bank to a level where the
river might not burst its banks.
• Can be permanent features or incorporated into the design of an area
and become invisible.
• Can also be temporary structures where flood gates or removable
‘stoplogs’ are built to protect a stretch of river.
• Levees and embankments
• Artificial levees can be built along river banks so that if the river
floods, the water will not be able to breach the wall and cause
damage. Levees can be expensive and can spoil the look of rivers.
• Flood embankments are usually used in rural areas. They can take up
a lot of space and are cheaper than flood walls but they can also
cause the speed of the water in the river to be increased which will
just move any potential flooding further downstream.
Soft engeniering
• Washlands
• These are areas of land where water can wash into during a flood.
They are usually found in the lower course of a river. Sluice gates will
be opened to allow excess water to flow into the area and flood
marginal land.
• It is not always easy to find acceptable areas for this to happen –
especially in areas where there are many cities.
• Land Use Zoning
• When planning for a new settlement in an area, this can be used to
divide up the flood plain into areas which experience different levels
of flood risk. Red areas will be places that are likely to experience a
high degree of flood risk. Yellow areas will be places where flooding is
possible but unlikely. Green areas are places where it is very unlikely
that any flooding will take place.
• This is effective when making decisions about new building in an area
but does not work in areas that are already built up.
• Afforestation
• Trees are planted near to the river. This means greater interception of
rainwater and lower river discharge. This is a relatively low cost
option, which enhances the environmental quality of the drainage
basin.
• Afforestation cannot prevent flooding but it can help reduce its
likelihood.