1.1 Geographical phenomena

The bodies of people and animals were strewn about, which caused a health risk. This caused the water to become polluted, and another health risk reared its ugly head: cholera.

A similar situation occurred during the flood at Laingsburg on January 25th, 1981.

Activity 2:

To make a list of the consequences a flood has for people

[lo 2.1]

• Read newspaper articles about these and other floods that occurred recently. Make your own comprehensive list of the CONSEQUENCES a flood has on the lives of people as well as on their socio-economic activities.

3. Why some people are at a higher risk of being affected by a flood than others

In many parts of the developing countries of the world the natural environment is misused and has become depleted. Because poor people usually produce for their own use only and never fertilise their land, the soil becomes impoverished and exhausted. Incorrect irrigation methods exacerbate the situation and the richer surface soil is swept away. Harvests become poorer every season and the people are faced with famine. No crop rotation takes place and cattle destroy the natural vegetation. For these people their wealth lies in the number of cattle they own, not in the quality of their cattle. Thus too many cattle are put to graze on a certain piece of land, which then destroys that land. If a flood were to occur in such an environment, there would be no natural vegetation to stem the water and everything would be washed away.

As soon as life in a rural area becomes unbearable people start to migrate to cities in search of possible employment. Since they are poor, they are forced to live in squatter camps. These squatter camps or informal settlements are usually located on less suitable or even dangerous terrain. As soon as a flood occurs these people’s houses, property and lives are in great danger. Here you only have to think of the wet Cape Flats with its thousands of homes.

Activity 3:

To study the impact of a flood on a residential area

[lo 2.1]

• How do you think a flood will particularly affect a squatter camp?

4. Preventative measures: risk management and risk reduction

What can be done about floods?

The answer to this question is usually, “Not much”. However, people can take certain preventative steps to try to reduce the risk of future floods. Below are a few possibilities:

• Installing flood-warning systems near important rivers where large populations are located.
• Building dikes, flood banks and weirs to help control the flow of water.
• Changing the flow channels of rivers – e.g. guiding a river away from a populated area.
• Enforcing strict regulations with regard to construction sites, building codes and construction requirements.
• Educating people to use the natural environment carefully and wisely, while paying special attention to training with regard to environment-friendly farming techniques.
• Stabilising riverbanks.
• Controlling and improving ditches that are badly eroded.
• Planting vegetation in barren areas.
• Monitoring weather predictions carefully, and taking the necessary precautions where possible.