Human causes include urbanisation in the Rhine catchment, which has led to a threefold increase in its built-up areas; the concrete and tarmac send more water to the river than the fields which they replaced. Also pressure for use as farmland or building means that the Rhine has lost much of its riverside marsh and floodplain that used to hold back floodwater.
Results: -
Floods can cause great damage to land and water-related constructions, which can have disastrous consequences for people and economies, both short and long-term. When there is such a great flood as the 1995 flood of the Rhine there will be many devastating consequences. In the Netherlands many of the polders, which are low laying areas enclosed by protective embankments called dykes, were flooded, four people died, some roads became impassable, much emergency reinforcement work had to carried out on the dykes which where made from sand and clay which was saturated making them more prone to collapse, 250,000 people where evacuated, police and soldiers had to guarded the empty houses from looters, many homes where flooded, greenhouse where flooded and lost along with stocks of flowers, fruit and vegetables, 1,000,000,000 cattle were evacuated which led to some being infected with foot rot and reduced milk yields because of the disturbance, waterways were closed to ships for two weeks thus leading to many oil and dry bulk barges being stranded and finally millions of pounds where lost to pay for all this flood damage caused.
Thanks to the authorities being well prepared a full-scale disaster was avoided. This shows us that embankments and other flood protection structures along the Rhine cannot grant absolute protection and that settlements and other forms of land use in flood-prone areas present a particular damage risk.
Response: -
After such devastating flooding authorities will be quick to react to make sure that no further damage is caused in the immediate or long-term future. Some short-term precautions taken include sandbags and temporary barriers across doors and windows, evacuation of people and livestock, removing carpet and furniture to higher floors, constructing temporary dykes, clear subways and underpasses, close roads at risk of flooding, installation of portable pumps and sealing doors and window frames with putty or foam.
To help tackle flooding in the long run afforestation in the Rhine basin to help intercept more rain is being encouraged along with land uses in the Rhine basin which increase absorption of rainwater, e.g. contour ploughing and increasing the area of parks and gardens in urban areas. Other percussions can be taken such as limiting the residential development in areas, which are likely to flood, many lives can be saved and the damage costs can be reduced, new early warning systems should improve confidence and response but only if its predictions are accurate and the warnings are communicated effectively. The Action Plan on Flood Defence was signed by the ministers of the Rhine at Rotterdam in 1998. This commits € 12 billion over the next twenty years to reduce the frequency and severity of floods in the lower reaches of the Rhine.
Future: -
Although flooding is an inevitable part of nature and will never be unavoidable, but greater steps are being taken in order for the consequences of flooding to be less devastating. These include research into better and new forms of flood protection and creating better awareness with the public so they know what to do during a flood and how to reduce home damage.
