How may knowledge of the hydrological cycle and its components assist in devising flood prevention measures?

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How may knowledge of the hydrological cycle and its components assist in devising flood

prevention measures?

The hydrological cycle is responsible for the circulation of water around the Earth, between

the different systems in the planet. The knowledge of the entire cycle and its components,

including precipitation, the different flows and stores involved in the cycle, one is able to gain

insights into the movement of water and thus devise means to prevent floods.

The key aspect of the hydrological cycle is that of the water input on land, which is

precipitation. Understanding the seasonal variations in the inputs would allow us to gain

insights into the seasonality of flooding and possibly even the frequency of flooding in a given

area. As such, water at dams can be released at appropriate times so that the lakes can

subsequently be used to hold back floodwaters when the high intense precipitation sets in. This

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way, flooding can be prevented.

Precipitation in the form of snow would spend longer time on the land as it flows into channels

only when they melt. Knowledge of the volume of water contained in the snow and the time

taken for the melting would help assess if the area has the capacity to hold the water formed

from snow melt. Flood can be prevented by attempting to melt some of the snow 1 during the

winter time and allowing greater discharge during the season so that when summer comes, the

discharge do not increase ...

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