There are three different process of a river.

The first one is

erosion. The second is transportation. The last one is deposition.

Erosion is the wearing a way of rock along the coastline. Destructive

waves are responsible for erosion on the coastline. There are four
types of erosion: Hydraulic action - this is the sheer power of the
waves as they smash against the cliff. Air becomes trapped in the
cracks in the rock and causes the rock to break apart.

Rivers transport material in four main ways: solution, suspension,

saltation, and traction. Solution occurs when minerals are dissolved
in the water and carried along in solution. Suspension is when fine
light material is carried along in the water. Saltation is when small
pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed. Traction is when
large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed.

Flooding

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually

dry.
Heavy rainfall is the simplest cause of flooding. When there is too much
rain or it happens too fast, there just isn’t a place for it to go. This can
result in floods like flash flooding.
Broken dams are another cause of flooding. Older infrastructure can fail
when heavy rains come and water levels rise. When dams break, they
unleash torrents of water on unsuspecting households. This is part of what
happened when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.
Hard engineering is a term used to describe artificial structures that
try to control natural processes, such as erosion, flooding, or
landslides.

 Often more effective at preventing flooding than Soft Engineering options

 Dams and reservoirs provide oportunity for Hydroelectric power
 Job opotunities (e.g in builing artifical levees/dams)
 Building flood banks is relatively cheap

 Most methods are very expensive

 Can harm the environment and destroy wildlife habitats
 Building dams can cause flooding upstream and produces methane gas.
 Not athetically pleasing (don't look good)
 Skilled workers needed to build dams or straighten river channels

Soft engineering is the use of vegetation and natural elements such as

rocks in civil engineering. It is typically applied to reinforce
shorelines and hills to prevent erosion and landslides. In many cases,
soft engineering results in reduced capital and operational costs such
as maintenance.

 Sustianable
 Relatively cheap (in comparison with hard engineering options)
 Afforestation is environmentally friendly
 Flood plain zoning uses the land effectively
 Requires less maintenance (than hard engineering)
 Athetically pleasing
 Doesn't harm wildlife habitats
 'Do nothing' option is cheap, allows natural floods creating fertile soils
 Can be less effective than hard engineering
 Takes time (e.g to allow trees to grow)
 Comminities may already have build houses so flood plain zoning can't be done.
 Land may be valuable for building on rather than leaving for agriculture  (Flood plain
zoning)
 'Do nothing' option can put lives at risk and doesn't actually reduce the risk of flooding.