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Pros And Cons Of Floodplains

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• A floodplain or flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge. Or in simple words we can say - an area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river, formed mainly of river sediments and subject to flooding.
Flood plains are made by a meander eroding sideways as they travel downstream. When a river breaks its banks and floods, it leaves behind layers of alluvium (silt). These gradually build up to create the floor of the flood plain. Floodplains can support particularly rich ecosystems, both in quantity and diversity.
• Floodplains are where land and water meet. The two environments merge …show more content…

This reduces a river’s discharge and so makes it less likely to flood. Afforestation also prevents mass wasting which reduces the amount of soil entering the river and keeps the river’s capacity high. When combined with floodplain zoning, afforestation can be very effective at reducing the risk of flooding. It creates new habitats for animals and improving water quality by filtering pollutants out of rainwater. The issue with afforestation is that it requires quite a lot of space to be effective and could prove unpopular among famers on the floodplain as they won’t be too happy with trees sapping nutrients from the soil. This issue can be combated somewhat by creating riparian buffers, thin vegetated strips of land that run adjacent to a river’s channel.
- Wetland Restoration- involves creating conditions that are favorable for the development of wetlands (marshes or swamps). Wetlands are able to store large volumes of water which helps to reduce the discharge in a river. Wetlands don’t reduce flooding where they are located but rather downstream of the river. They have the added benefit of creating new habitats for animals and greatly increasing biodiversity. They reduce the area of land available for farming though which makes them unpopular among

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