FLOODING IN BARRAKPORE

Zane amour

Shiva Boys Hindu College

[Email address]
Name: Zane Amour
Candidate Number:
School: Shiva Boys’ Hindu College
School Code: 160521
Teacher: Ms. Sookdeo
Year: 2017-2018
Topic: Flooding in Barrackpore

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Table of contents
Introduction……………………..4
Aim ……………………..4
Location study……………………..5
Methodology ……………………..7
Presentation of data ……………………..8
Consequences to residents ……………………..10
Consequences to farmers ……………………..12
Conclusion …………………….. 14
Bibliography……………………..15
Appendix……………………..16

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Introduction
Barrackpore is a town in southern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located southeast of San Fernando, and falls into
the administrative authority of the Corporation. We have chosen this are because it is very prone to flooding

Aim :

To investigate the causes and consequences of flooding in the in the area of Barrackpore

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Location of study

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Map B

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Methodology
These steps were taken in the interview process

 Questionnaires were made and interviews were carried out with 20 the residents and 15 farmers of
Barrackpore. Observations of the area was done and recorded.
 These interviews were taken on the weekends at 5:00 pm in the area of Monkey Town.
 This area was chosen because there in a river nearby and can cause frequent flooding

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Presentation of data
Causes of Flooding

Soil type – the soil type in Barrackpore was found to be clay. This was investigated through the process of
sedimentation which is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are
entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to
the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration, or
electromagnetism.

Height of land –Barrackpore consists mainly of flat land (as seen in figure 1). This means that it is a valley
and flood waters will take longer to settle in this area than non-flood prone areas. There is also the
problem of improper drainage causes flooding

Figure 1

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Increase of settlement- This is seen throughout the area of Barrackpore. Most of the settlements are
made of pure concrete and pitch and have little to no flora. This means that there is greater runoff of
water. The absence of trees also affects runoff and therefore creates flooding. At least 90% of the land
used for housing settlement and 10% is used for farming (as seen in the figure below).

Settlemnt in Barrackpore

10%

90%

Housing settlement Farming settlememt

Figure 2

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Consequences of residents
Lack of transport- If there is flooding in Barrackpore the roads will be inaccessible to the rest of the country.
On average 75% of the population of Barrackpore are working class and therefore many people in Barrackpore
are unable to go to work. 15%of the population are school students and are also unable to go to school.
The other 10% are younger children and elderly who will not be very much affected (as shown is figure

Population
Young children and
elderly
10%

School stundents
15%

Working class
75%

Working class School stundents Young children and elderly

Figure 3

Financial loss- Many residents lose their valuables (such as television sets furniture and clothes) and
money during a flood (as shown in figure4.0) and figure4.1 below shows the statics of money lost.
50%

40%

30% Series 1

20% Series 2
Series 3
10%

0%
$0-500 <$2,000 >$2,000

Figure 4 .0 Figure 4.1

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Student’s attendance- since the road are flooded and inaccessible many students ae not able to attend
school. Of the school population is unable to attend school. Figure 5 below shows the statistics of the
children who attended and did not attend school

School Attendance

67%

33%

Unattended Attended

Figure 5

Diseases-96% of the residents said that when flooding occurs there was an increase of diseases which
make people sick in the area. These diseases include: Dengue, Gastro enteritis, zika and cholera. This is
because of the increase in nesting places for the incest’s that carry these diseases. Figure 6 shows how
they are affected.

Unaffected
Affected

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Figure 6

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Consequences of farmers
Destruction of crops-heavy rainfalls can destroy crops and prevent their growth and farmers are majorly
affected (as shown in figure 7-0). This can lead to a loss in profits. 69% of the total crops were destroyed
and 3% were saved and 28% was partially saved (as shown in figure 7.1)

Crops

69%
Totally Destroyed

28% Some saved

All saved

3%

Figure 7 Figure 7.1

Financial consequences- similarly with residents, farmers lose money when their crops are destroyed and
this affects all farmers. Many can lose up to $2000 in a year (as shown in figure 8)

Number of Farmers suffer financial lost

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0
$200-$500 $600-$1000 $1100-$1500 $1600 or more

Figure 8

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Livestock lost-12 of the farmers that were interviewed were livestock farmers. 76% for their livestock was
killed or lost during the flooding and only 24% of the livestock was saved for various methods. (As seen in
figure 9)

Livestock

76%

Lost or killed
Saved

24%

Figure 9

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Conclusion
In conclusion there are manty causes and consequences of flooding in Barrackpore. Not only are
residents faced with these problems but the farmers. Flooding is mainly caused by the height of the
land, which is very low. This leads to flood waters not having anywhere to go and rising

Residents faced severe consequences. These include a lack of transportation which left many away from
school or work, financial loss of most expensive goods (television sets jewellery etc.) and diseases

Farmers also faced serve consequences. They include destruction of crops, loss of livestock
which leads to a major financial loss
In conclusion flooding is a serious problem in any place. However less pollution and better
drainage among other things could minimize the flooding. These things include buildings above
sea level and inform the population about the effects of flooding.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:
1) Bleasdell, S.G., Cheong, E. & Tan, K.S. (2008). CSEC New Integrated Geography. San
Fernando, Trinidad: Caribbean Educational Publishers.
2) Rahil, V.A. (2010). Complete Geography course for CSEC. La Romaine, Trinidad and Tobago:
Caribbean Educational Publishers.
3) Wilson, M. (2005). The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

4) George Philip & Son (2011). PHILIPS CERTIFICATE ATLAS FOR THE CARIBBEAN .London/GB. Octopus
Publishing Group

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 Appendix
List of Questions Directed to Residents in the area.
Type of Building:

 Flat house
 Two-Storey
1) Do you consider the area in which you live highly prone to flooding?

 Yes
 No
If YES, how many times a year does it floods ………………………………………………………………
2) How long have the area been flooding?

 (0-5 years)
 (6-10 years)
 (11-15 years)
 (16-20 years)
 (21-25 years)
3) Would you say that flooding is a severe problem?

 No
 Occasionally
 Fairly Severe
 Severe
 Very Severe
4) Was flooding in the area taken into consideration when you was constructing your house?

 Yes
 No
5) Is transportation a problem for you or members of your family whenever it floods?

 Yes
 No
If YES, How? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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6) Would you say that your children attendance to and from school is affected as a result of the
flooding?

 Yes
 No
7) Would you say that the diseases such as dengue fever, gastro enteritis or cholera is likely to
occur after flooding?

 Yes
 No
8) Have your household items or appliances ever been affected by flood waters?

 Yes
 No
9) Do you grow crops in and around your home?

 Yes
 No
And have flood waters ever resulted in the destruction of these crops?

 Yes
 No
10) What can you say about the prices of market items after a flood event?

 Large increase in price

 Small increase in price
 No change in price
 Small drop in price
 Large drop in price
11) Can you give me an estimate of the financial cost that occurred as a result of flooding
annually?

 $(0-500)
 $(<2000)
 $(>2000)
12) Does any Government Ministry compensate you?

 Yes
 No
If YES, which one? …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

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13) What is being done to reduce flooding in the area?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14) What do you think can be done?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 List of Questions directed to Farmers in the area
1) How long have you been a farmer in the area?

 (0-5 years)
 (6-10 years)
 (11-15 years)
 (16 years or more)
2) Is Agricultural Farming your main source of livelihood?

 Yes
 No
3) What type of Farming do you practice?

 Crops grown for the market

 Sugar Cane (long-term)
 Crops grown for home use
4) What in your opinion would you say is the major cause for the destruction of your crops?

 Pests & Diseases

 Flooding
 Fire
 Poor Soil
 Dry spells (drought)
Rank the above in order based on the level of damages to your crop.
……………………………………………….
……………………………………………….
……………………………………………….
……………………………………………….
……………………………………………….
5) Can you give me an average financial cost of your losses annually?

 $(100-500)
 $(600-1000)
 $(1100-1500)
 $1600 or more
6) Does the extent of flooding result in:

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  Total destruction of your crops
 You are still able to save your crops
 Premature Harvesting
7) How long after do you restart your farming practices after a flooding event?

 Within a couple of days

 Within weeks
 Over a month
8) Do you own livestock?

 Yes
 No
9) Are they affected by the flood waters?

 Yes
 No
10) Have you ever been compensated for the losses of your crops and livestock’s?

 Yes
 No
If YES, how much? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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