Hard vs Soft Engineering

Question 1

What can reduce the risk of flooding and its effects?

Answer 1

Engineering.

Question 2

What are the 2 types of strategies to deal with flooding?

Answer 2

Hard and soft engineering.

Question 3

What is hard engineering?

Answer 3

Man-made structures built to control the flow of rivers and reduce flooding.

Question 4

What is soft engineering?

Answer 4

Schemes set up using knowledge of a river and its processes to reduce the effects of flooding.

Question 5

Name the 2 hard engineering methods?

Answer 5

Dams and reservoirs.

Channel straightening.

Question 6

What is a dam?

Answer 6

Huge walls built across a river.

Upper course.

Question 7

What is a reservoir?

Answer 7

Artificial lake formed behind a dam.

Question 8

What are the benefits of dams and reservoirs?

Answer 8

Reservoirs store water.

Water in reservoirs used to drink and generate HEP.

Question 9

Why is it good that reservoirs store water?

Answer 9

During prolonged rain it stores water and reduces risk of flooding.

Question 10

Disadvantages of dams and reservoirs?

Answer 10

Dams are expensive.
Reservoirs can flood existing settlements.
Eroded material is deposited in reservoir.

Question 11

Where should eroded material be deposited?

Why?

Answer 11

Along river’s natural course.

Farmland downstream can be less fertile.

Question 12

What is channel straightening?

Answer 12

River’s course straightened.

Question 13

What happens to the meanders in channel straightening?

Answer 13

They are cut out by building artificial straight channels.

Question 14

What are the benefits of channel straightening?

Answer 14

Water moves out of the area quickly as it doesn’t travel as far, this reduces floods.

Question 15

What are the disadvantages of channel straightening?

Answer 15

Flooding may occur downstream of the straightened channel instead, as the water is carried their faster.
More erosion downstream faster flowing water.

Question 16

Why is there more erosion down stream?

Answer 16

Water is flowing faster.

Question 17

Name the 4 methods of soft engineering?

Answer 17

Flood warnings.
Preparation.
Flood plain zoning.
‘Do nothing’.

Question 18

What are flood warnings?

Answer 18

Environmental agency warns people about possible flooding.

Question 19

How are flood warnings put across?

Name 4.

Answer 19

TV.
Radio.
Newspaper.
Internet.

Question 20

What are the benefits of flood warning?

Answer 20

Impact of flood is reduced.

Warnings give people time to love possessions.

Question 21

Where will people move their possessions to?

Answer 21

Upstairs.
Sandbags in position.
Evacuate.

Question 22

What are the disadvantages of flood warnings?

Answer 22

Don’t stop flood actually occurring.
Difficult to get insurance.
People may not hear warnings.

Question 23

What is flood plain zoning?

Answer 23

Restrictions prevent building on parts of a flood plain that are likely to be affected by a flood.

Question 24

What are the benefits of flood plain zoning?

Answer 24

Risk of flood reduced.

Impact of flood reduced.

Question 25

Flood plain zoning reduces risk of flood, how?

Answer 25

Impermeable surfaces aren't created.

Question 26

During flood plain zoning how is the impact of flooding reduced?

Answer 26

No houses or roads to be damaged.

Question 27

What are the disadvantages of flood plain zoning?

Answer 27

Expansion of an urban area is limited. | No help in areas that have already been built on.

Question 28

What is 'do nothing'?

Answer 28

No money spent on new engineering methods or maintaining existing ones.

Question 29

What is the concept behind 'do nothing'?

Answer 29

That flooding is a natural process and people should accept the risks of living in an area that's likely to flood.

Question 30

What are the benefits of 'do nothing'?

Answer 30

The river flood eroded material and its deposited on the flood plain. MAKING FARMLAND MORE FERTILE.

Question 31

What are the disadvantages of 'do nothing'?

Answer 31

The risk of flooding and the impacts aren't reduced. | Flood cause a lot of damage.

Question 32

What happens during the process of 'preparation'?

Answer 32

Buildings are modified to reduce the amount of damage a flood causes.

Question 33

During preparation what do people do?

Answer 33

Make plans for what to do in a flood. | Keep important documents, items like torches and blankets in a handy place.

Question 34

What are the benefits of preparation?

Answer 34

Impact of flooding is reduced. Buildings less damaged and people know what to do when a flood happens. People less likely to worry.

Question 35

What are the disadvantages of preparation?

Answer 35

Doesn't guarantee safety. False sense of security. Expensive to modify homes/businesses.