Flood is a natural disaster that can cause serious injury and loss of life. It can also inundate buildings, destroy property and disrupt essential public services. For individuals affected, flooding can be stressful and depressing. It may result in damage to irreplaceable personal belongings and lost financial assets. It can also affect access to essential community services such as water, sanitation, energy and telecommunications. Floods can also disrupt business and cause economic disruption.
Flooding is usually caused by rainfall that exceeds the capacity of ponds, lakes, river beds, soil and vegetation to absorb it. This can be accelerated by human activities such as draining wetlands, building on floodplains and paving surfaces that do not absorb water.
The force of floodwaters can erode land, taking up and carrying away materials such as gravel, sand and soil. This can cause foundations to shift, causing houses and other buildings to crumble. In addition, flooded sediment can carry hazardous materials such as sharp debris, pesticides and fuel. Floodwaters are also contaminated with untreated sewage, which can spread disease.
Floods transport nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to surrounding land. When the waters recede, this rich natural fertilizer improves soil quality and increases plant growth. This is why ancient civilizations grew along the deltas of seasonally flooded rivers, such as the Nile in Egypt.
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