Floods occur when water rises and soaks areas that normally are dry. They are one of the most common natural disasters and can have devastating effects on people, infrastructure, and livestock. Floods can also be a threat to health, as they often lead to waterborne diseases like hepatitis A and cholera. Floods can also create breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread malaria and other zoonoses.
Flooding is a frequent occurrence in many of the world’s rivers and streams, from the smallest ephemeral streams in humid zones to the largest river systems. They are typically caused by rainfall, rapid snow melt, and/or groundwater accumulation.
Small seasonal floods are good for fish—they deposit sediment on riverbeds, providing a place for baby fish to grow and carry nutrients that support aquatic food webs. In some parts of the world, they are necessary to maintain healthy wetlands. For example, the Okavango Delta in Botswana is a flood-dependent ecosystem that replenishes wetlands with rainfall and floodwaters each wet season.
In the Bible, the story of Noah’s flood is a story of God taking merciful action to restrain humanity’s headlong pursuit of evil. This interpretation of the flood narrative is widely accepted. However, other cultures have varying interpretations of the flood. For instance, the flood in the Hindu epic Manvantara-Sandhya and the deluge in Greek mythology are interpreted as acts of divine grace. The biblical Genesis flood narrative is not without its critics, though.
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