What is the main cause of floods in the rivers?

Floods are flow of stream due to changing environment. As long as water cycle is there, floods are expected. There are different causes of flooding in river. Some of them are describe as under:

Natural Causes

Shortage of lakes to control the river flow is from one of the major causes. Lake behaves like a big water reservoir that holds excess amount of water. River beds become shallower due to silting in river channels thus results in reduction in storage capacity. So, when there is rain, river is not able to handle the additional water due to rain and results in flooding of river. Typhoon is another natural cause of flooding. Due to typhoon, sea water enters into coastal areas which results in strong storm surge. Monsoon season and snow which melts down from hill also cause flooding.

Human Factors

Trees are cut down by the people in order to make the forest a living place. This process is called deforestation. Trees also stop the flow of excessive amount of water. They also absorb a large amount of water for their survival. As there are no tress to absorb the rain water so, it goes to the river and thus results in flooding.

Precipitation

The location and amount of snowfall and rain are determined by the weather patterns. However, this pattern does not remain same all over the time and changes frequently. Water cycle is balanced in such a way that water entering in one part of the earth is equal to the water coming out and ending up in the ocean. But sometimes this balance got disturbed and thus flooding occurs.

Dams Failure

Dams can be viewed as the biggest source to hold the excessive amount of water for a long time thus preventing the floods. Events like blockage by ice, landslides or lava flow from volcanoes are some of the naturally constructed dams. While human built dams are for storing water, controlling the floods and for generating electricity. As building the dams are complex and costly phenomenon so the governments fail to build dams at proper places of the rivers. As a result, there is no source on the river to block the excessive amount of water which results in floods.

Snow Melting

Owing to the steep rise in the earth’s temperature the snow on the glaciers is melting fast. As a result of it, a large amount of water runs to the rivers while surpassing the holding capacity of the rivers. This is a very rare case of flooding. But if combined with rain, a serious havoc can be caused.

Wet or saturated soil

If ground soil is saturated then it also not absorbs water from snow melting and rain. This excess amount of water runs in to the river. While unsaturated soil is just like a sponge that absorbs most of water of rain. Saturated soil not itself results in flooding. It’s a rapid snow melt or heavy amount of rain that causes it.

Water Reservoirs

Reservoirs are designed to store water in bulk amount for irrigation and drinking purpose. Water reservoir can store water to a large amount. These reservoirs can save the people living downstream from the floods by controlling the flow of water.

Flooding in river also depends on other weather conditions like temperature, humidity. If you want to stop flooding in river to save your home, area then proper attention must be paid to the above described factors.