9 Harmful Effects of Floods

Floods, that imply a large amount of water rising and then spreading across a region, are one of the most common causes of natural disasters in India. Heavy rains and landslides in India cause as much as 58 per cent of all disaster loss in the country. Heavy rains, landslides, overflowing rivers, cyclones and tsunamis cause floods in India.

Effects of Floods:

i. Agricultural lands are destroyed due to crops being submerged in water. This causes a lot of economic loss to farmers.

ii. They wreck houses, particularly kuccha houses in the villages.

iii. They cause disruption of all transport and communication.

iv. There is shortage of drinking water.

v. They harm human, animal and plant life.

vi. They cause a rise in epidemics because of waterlogging. Malaria and diarrhoea are common diseases during floods.

vii. They cause decay of organic matter, leading to growth of infection-spreading germs.

viii. They affect the ecosystem in a negative way.

ix. They cause a lot of harm to the economy of the region.

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Additional Information

Management and Mitigation of Floods:

Floods cause tremendous destruction of life and property. But there are ways of protection against floods:

i. If an area is prone to floods, houses in the region should be constructed on raised platforms. River banks should also be raised.

ii. Administrative authorities should properly map areas that are prone to floods.

iii. Rivers should be mapped and the surrounding areas appropriately prepared for floods.

iv. Houses should be insured to protect against economic losses.

v. Placing sandbags around houses can save property.

vi. Dams can be constructed to prevent against losses from floods. They control the water flow.

vii. Afforestation programs should be supported because depletion of forests is causing a rise in the number of floods witnessed almost every year across the globe.

viii. Rivers should be cleared of harmful garbage like plastics.

ix. Floods should be well forecasted and warnings systems should be in place.