CEng 148-Water Resources Engineering I

08:00-09:00am MWF; 9:00-10:00am MWF

Gladys G. Doydora
Department of Civil Engineering
gladysdoydora@gmail.com

FLOOD CONTROL
Occurrence of floods is a natural phenomenon and man has to live with it right
from the beginning. It is not just confined to monsoon in Asia but it is a globally
pervasive hazard (Kale, 1998). Floods can occur in many ways, usually in valley bottoms
and coastal areas and be produced by a number of influencing conditions. It affects
the all environment including plants and animals, living and non-living things and has
been an integral part of human experience. Their locations and magnitudes vary
considerably and as a result they have markedly different effects upon the
environment.

“Flood” is not precisely defined, partly because flood is a complex phenomenon

and can be viewed differently from anybody’s perspective. Some definitions are as
follows;

A flood is a relatively high flow which overtakes the natural channel provided for
the runoff (Chow,1956)

Flood is defined as any high stream flow which overtops natural or artificial banks
of a stream (Rostvedt et al,1968)

Flood is a body of water which rises to overflow land which is not normally
submerged (Ward, 1978)

A flood also is defined as “over flow of inland and tidal waters causing rapid and
usual accumulation or run off of surface water. From any source or a mudflow in a
considerable area of land”

This natural phenomenon occurrence is associated with hydrological cycle

caused under the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors occurring from
time to time in all rivers and natural drainage systems which are difficult to prevent but
can be managed in order to reduce their social and economic impacts. Flooding is a
threat to life and leads to damage of property. It is therefore very important that
flooding risks be taken into account during any planning process (A. Kotkar, 2013)

CAUSES OF FLOODS

The main causes of flood can be grouped in to two types.

• Natural causes
o Prolonged rainfall
o Monsoon rain -High intensity rain fall
o Meandering passage of rivers

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 o Landslides and volcanic eruptions
o Blockage of river passage
o High tides, storm surge or tsunami caused by underwater earthquake in
coastal area
o Snowmelt
o Global warming (Climate Change)
• Man- made causes
o Construction works
o Urbanization ( increases surface runoff)
o Alteration of river passage
o Construction of dam, bridges and storage bodies
o Deforestation
o Farming

Also, human activities in the coastal low lands and the river valleys can intensity
the hazard of flooding such activities includes; (i) Drained declaimed wetland for
agriculture, (ii)Removal of sand from beach,(iii)Ground water extraction and mining of
gas and oil, (iv) Destroying natural vegetation in muddy coast lines,(v) Destroying or
damage of coral reels and (vi) Deforestation and soil erosion

EFFECTS
• Primary effects
o Physical damage (damage to structures, including bridges, buildings, sewerage
systems)
• Secondary effects
o Water supplies - Scarcity of drinking water due to contamination
o Diseases – due to unhygienic conditions spread of water
o Crops and food supplies - shortage of food crops can be caused due to loss of
entire harvest
o Trees/Plants - non tolerant species can die from suffocation
o Transportation and communication – disrupted links for emergency aids
• Tertiary and long term effects
o Economic - economic hardship due to temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding
costs, food shortage leading to price increase etc.
o Psychological - flooding can be highly traumatic for individuals, in particular
where deaths (loss of life), serious injuries and loss of property occurs.

FLOOD CONTROL
Flood control refers to all methods used to reduce or prevent the harmful effects of
flood waters.

Flood Control is the technique or practice of preventing or controlling foods with dams,
artificial channels, etc.

DPWH
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is currently responsible for the
planning, design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure, especially the

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national highways, flood control and water resources development system, and other
public works in accordance with national development objectives.

TYPES OF FLOOD MANAGEMENT

The aim of flood management is to protect homes, businesses and the
environment from flooding.

1. Hard Engineering
Hard engineering defenses involve the use of technology to control rivers -
building structures that reduce flooding.
Ex: Dams and reservoir, levees, channel dredging, straightening rivers, flood walls,
seawall
2. Soft Engineering
The use of ecological principles and practices to reduce erosion and achieve
the stabilization and safety of shorelines and the area surrounding rivers, while
enhancing habitat, improving aesthetics, and saving money.
Ex. Flood warning system, sandbagging, insurance, floodplain zoning, beach
replenishment

Hard vs. Soft Engineering

➢ Hard engineering is expensive and disrupts natural processes while soft
engineering is cheaper and require less time and money to maintain
➢ Soft engineering is designed to work with the natural environment and creates
areas like wetlands which are important wildlife habitats
➢ Soft engineering is a more sustainable management strategy because of its
lower economic cost and environmental impacts than hard engineering.

IMPORTANCE OF FLOOD CONTROL

➢ Minimize flood damages and the violence of flood events

➢ Prevent unwise encroachment and development within floodplains
➢ Protect the life and property of citizens living within floodplains
➢ Protect public health
➢ Reduce financial burden on communities with land subject to flood damages
➢ Enhance wildlife, recreation and riparian habitats along watercourses and
floodplains
➢ Help people have water to drink and provide water for industry, water for irrigation
and other needs

MANAGEMENT OF FLOODS
The object of a flood-control study is to decide which of the flood control
measures, singly or in combination, are most suited and their location, size, design and
costs. The design of flood control works should be closely related to the hydrological
features and economic justification of the project. Design magnitudes of floods are
needed for the design of spillways, reservoirs, bridge openings, drainage of cities and
air ports, and construction of flood walls and levees (flood banks). The maximum flood
that any structure can safely pass is called the ‘design flood’. The damages due to the

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devastating floods can be minimized by the following flood control measures, singly or
in combination. The following are some control methods preventing flood occurrences.
• Controlling the water level
o Dams
o Pumping stations
• Building of barriers
o Embankments
o Flood walls
• Altering the river’s channel (straightening and widening )
• Controlling land use around the river (land use zoning, flood plain zoning)

FLOOD DATA
The principal kinds of hydrological data required for flood control projects include;
➢ rainfall (depth, intensity, duration, aerial distribution, and path; maximum
probable precipitation);
➢ river stage (peak stages, stage hydrograph during floods, flood-wave profiles
along the stream and tributaries);
➢ discharge (peak rates, frequencies, hydrographs); and
➢ sediment (rate of suspended and bed-load transportation).

The informally recorded data may be found in newspapers. Less reliable, but vital,
information may be obtained from field observations, such as flood marks on trees and
buildings, and from people who have lived for a long time in the project area.
Another form of flood data is the flood inundation map, which is available only in
major river basins where comprehensive planning for flood control has been
undertaken

FLOOD CONTROL ECONOMICS

In a flood control project, the degree of flood protection (i.e., to the required stage)
should be justified by an economic analysis of the costs involved in raising the structure
to the required heights (say, the height of spillway) and the direct and indirect benefits
obtained by flood protection up to that stage. Generally, the flood stage for which the
ratio annual benefits to cost is a maximum is adopted for the design of the flood
protection works. Protection against floods of rare occurrence is uneconomical
because of the large investment (for a small increase in the benefits) and hence there
is always a certain amount of flood risk involved.

The flood control costs include:

i. Capital costs involved in the construction of the structure to the required flood
height(i.e., to offer the required degree of flood protection, say, by a
combination of dam spillway, levees and channel improvement)
ii. Interest cost on capital expenditure
iii. Sinking fund, depreciation and taxes
iv. Operational expenses and maintenance cost

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The benefits of flood control include
i. Direct or primary benefits accruing from prevention of flood damages to
structures downstream, losses arising from disruption of communication, (and
business), loss of life and property, damage to crops, etc.
ii. Indirect benefits resulting from the money saved under insurance and Workmen’s
compensation laws, higher yields from intensive cultivation of protected lands
and reduction in flood-prone epidemic diseases, etc.

Assessment of potential flood damage is an important requirement in any organized

flood control program. Generally stage-damage curves are plotted to show that
damage in a particular region in relation to the rising flood stages in that reach. Indirect
damage by floods deals with the loss of business and services to community. This is a
socioeconomic loss and is difficult to assess because of the various economic and
physical factors involved whereas the direct damages can be estimated in terms of
money value. An assessment of the damages caused by floods can be made when
the data is collected and presented in the following form:
(i) Area affected (km2)
(ii) Population affected
(iii) Crops affected
(a) in hectares
(b) value in peso
(iv) Damage to property
(a) number of houses damaged
(b) cost of replacing or repairing in peso
(v) Loss of livestock
(a) category number
(b) value in peso
(vi) Human lives lost
(vii) Damage to public works in peso
Suitable flood indices have to be developed from year to year to enable
comparison to be made of the various flood damages.

Sources:
HM Raghunath,2006. Hydrology
DPWH (2004).The study of flood control project implementation in the Philippines
web readings

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