Page 85 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY

(lake-like wetlands). Th ese beels and
some other perennial water bodies are
extremely important for the ecological
environment and their fragmentation due
to fl oods and human activities disrupts
the balance of nature.
• Floods generally cause considerable
damage to anti-poaching infrastructure
namely, roads, bridges, patrolling paths
Silt deposition near Kosi embankment at Navbhata
and guard camps in the park.
Impact of Floods in Assam and Bihar • During fl oods, communication between
the various camps and the range
• Floodwater causes buildings to collapse
headquarters becomes very diffi cult.
and injure or kill people.
• Floods can aff ect physical and emotional
health, for example, hypothermia (from Measures to Reduce Flood Damage
being caught in the fl ood for too long). Soil protection: Floods can wash away soil.
Th e roots of plants can bind and hold the
soil together, and stop this from happening.
Social Impacts
We can protect the soil by ensuring that
vegetation is not removed by processes

such as deforestation, overgrazing and over-
Injuries,
spread of Disruption to cultivation.
diseases and Homelessness clean water
supply
loss of lives

A fl owchart showing the social impacts of fl oods

• Aft er the fl ood, diseases might break out,
for example, the contamination of the
water due to a chemical spill might lead to
the spread of cholera and dysentery.
• Stagnant pools of water encourage
mosquitoes to breed causing malaria and
dengue fever.
• Some animal species are washed away by
Construction of dams help in controlling overfl ow of rivers.
the strong current of the fl ood, especially
in the Brahmaputra. Flood control work: We can build dykes,
• Th e grazing animals in the Kaziranga dams and reservoirs to hold back water in the
National Park severely suff er from a event of a fl ood. Water management can help
shortage of fodder during the fl oods. to improve the water fl ow in rivers.
• Siltation occurs due to the fl ooding Advance warning: Flood forecasts and
of the river Brahmaputra. Th is warnings help us to act fast in fi ghting against
siltation causes fragmentation of beels fl oods and in minimising the damage caused.

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