River Engineering Approach to Flood Alleviation and Navigation on the Mississippi River - Movie Review Example

Advanced Hydraulic Engineering Your name Name of Assignment 11th March, 2013 Outline Background of the case and the video Hydrodynamic, morphological and environmental of the traditional river engineering approach to flood alleviation and navigation on the Mississippi river Options for more sustainable river engineering approach. Conclusion References Background of the case and the video The documentary video shows how Mississippi river has evolved through the use of river engineering and its impact. The documentary video is focal point is on flooding and its effects and how river engineering has increased it frequency and magnitude. At the beginning of the video one can note a river has sections with concrete walls and dams on the tributaries constraining the river which ended up causing havoc. From the documentary video one can see buildings which are destroyed by the flood and later we are shown where river course and banks have been changed with the aim of managing flooding through walls and dams. From the video you can one can see sections have divergent bunds which reduces the degree of destruction in case there is flooding. This enables the formation of shoals which is a water way between the head of a curved area and its tail. This video clearly shows that such a project did not stop flooding in the Mississippi river. At one point in the video we see water flowing vigorously. The video begins by showing how the river starts swelling to the point when flooding starts. At this point residents started packing their belongings to go to higher grounds. Children are shown playing in muddy flood waters as residents help in the evacuation process in the video one can see a point where a house is submerged and there is a young man outside the house wondering although he has his hands on the pockets. Later the video shows a whole estate which has been submerged showing only roofs. At one point there is a house that is completely submerged and there are littered garbage outside that house which was maybe due flooding. There is a tire and plastics which can be said as the aftermaths of flooding. The video shows a church which is submerged as well as a road meaning that the infrastructure system was affected. There is a man also who hanging on a tree outside his house. At one point there is a section of a town that has been submerged and there are red crates of soft trees that are appearing to be submerged in the water. It is important to note that the video has provided good information on the impact of flooding in Mississippi river. This video is incredible and well organised; as a result, it gives the audience or viewer a lot of attention-grabbing and interesting information. The centrepiece of any extra content of a video is the commentary track, and this show is no exception. The commentary of anchor is in fact one of the most attractive and informative that attracts members of the audience. The comments of anchor are not packed; that is he had he has done it in a way such that he knows when it is right to let the only pictures of sceneries and time make a commentary. The video, which is based on the Mississippi River flooding and its bigger part of the movie covers devastating effects of flooding. It uses many interesting techniques in some scenes that appear to be very realistic and dangerous. The flooding scenes depict the effects of traditional river engineering on hydrodynamic forces, morphological and environmental. The shooting of this was done using a combination of real and mechanical sceneries. The video shows degradation of the environment within the river banks as well as due to lateral or vertical hydrostatic forces. It is shown on the video that the authorities tried to avoid this by use of flood-damage resistant materials which swept during flood. Some sections of the river where a wall was built as preventive measure of hydrostatic forces of water were destroyed. Buildings that were built on flood path but not above the flood level were flooded or destroyed completed. The video is intended to examine the causes and the effects of Mississippi river on the life of Americans. Moreover, according to video, changes of Mississippi river courses disrupt the processes of supply chains because the flooded infrastructure roads prevent workers and staff to get to work. This has resulted in some serious consequences; at least for the ones that are involved in the line of healthcare. However, these hospitals have coped better by having plans and clear protocols in place for every scenario. Again the biggest problem that resulted was the inability of emergency services to reach those requiring it. The problem was so glaringly obvious that it caused deaths as illustrated by the video. According to video, floods occur when there is an overflow from rivers and dams. This means that policies that focused exclusively on structural flood control are not enough and there is a need to encompass non-structural issues such as land planning and relocation of buildings which are prone to floods. Hydrodynamic, morphological and environmental of the traditional river engineering approach to flood alleviation and navigation on the Mississippi river There are a lot of changes due to traditional river engineering approach applied on Mississippi river. These approaches have had devastating hydrodynamic, morphological and environmental effects. Which include increase of flooding frequency, Changes in volumetric flow rate, change of environment and navigation course. The frequency and magnitude of flooding in Mississippi river have increased due to traditional river engineering approaches on the upper Mississippi river. This has led to unpredictable water flow in the river. This is as a result of land usage and vegetation clearance. Traditional River engineering approaches has led to the construction of dams which have altered the navigation approach of the river. Dams on a river reduce navigation distances as they form part which cannot be navigated. Before 1700, frequency of flooding on Mississippi river was minimal or was not even recorded but there after the frequency of flooding has increased to unmanageable levels. Environment has been affected also because Wisconsin Glacier was altered and it no longer takes place which is a clear indication that the environment has changed. Environmentally and river engineering- Influence from man poses the greatest threat on biodiversity as it affects the entire planed either directly or indirectly. Such threat can occur through changes in land-use, unsuitable natural resource use, pollution, and climate change. Owing to the fact that biodiversity is the most vital resource for the global world; humanity should therefore strive to responsibly use natural resources, based on sound and scientific-based management. Such practice would benefit local people and at the same time conserve biodiversity for sustainable development. This brings us to the impacts of traditional river engineering approaches to environment. The purposes of traditional river engineering approaches were to alleviation floods in Mississippi River. There environmental problems may be seen as a threat to humans since society heavily relies on nature, it is important to note that these issues encompass river engineering approaches in Mississippi river as a whole including the local wildlife. There is siltation due to deforestation of the riverbanks and hill slopes where dams and walls have been constructed or illegally occupied. This means that traditional engineering approaches involving hydrology, hydraulics and sediment transport should incorporate river geomorphology and morphology, amenity and recreation, Reforestation, wildlife, landscape, fisheries, navigation, water quality, groundwater, archaeology, angling, aquatic biology and river maintenance as well as any legislative or planning requirements (Sills, Vroman, Wahl and Schwanz, 2005). The ecological modernisation discourse is inclined towards ecological threats. It is concerned with adverse effects various human activities which deteriorate the environment. In this sense, ecological risks such as global warming and ozone depletion feature in the ecological modernisation discourse. In addition, it is concerned with practises that are detrimental to the environment. Based on Douglas’ description of pollution, ecological modernization reflects on “unbefitting matter” that negatively influences the environment. In the attempt to counter these effects, ecological threats are restricted through a regulatory approach founded on the assumption that ecological-related problems’ resolution and economic growth can theoretically be brought together. The ecological modernisation thought incorporates aspects of sustainable development. In this aspect, individuals are held capable of instituting as well as maintaining sustainable development. With respect to sustainable development, developments; both technological and industrial should fulfil or satisfy requirements of the current generation without influencing the capacity of subsequent generations to attain their needs. The Ecological modernisation discourse considers this concept which implies restrictions in modern social establishments as well as technology. In so doing, it imposes limitations on the utilization of environmental resources in the attempt to prevent negative effects on the ecosystem. Besides, it ensures that industrial, agricultural and other activities observe the biosphere’s ability or capacity to sustain human activities On the other hand, the ecological politics discourse emphasizes on political expediency that advocates for the adaptation of fixed essentials of technological progress, economic growth, as well as global competition. It supports formulation of universal laws and regulations that governs activities of various individuals or organizations, which are likely to negatively influence the environment. Furthermore, it considers aspects of political power established within conflicts underlying interests and issues as well as unconventional relations of elements that are probable to be at risk. In so doing, the ecological politics thought reflects on the impact of political affiliates in environmental controversies, and judgments about environmental sustainability. This is with respect to political and social preferences, ideas as well as concepts assumed by people, and concepts of cultural influence on environmental issues Morphological computational river modelling- The problem is to be able to predict the morphological changes in a river system due to some river engineering scheme. The solution requires coupling the flow modelling approaches with appropriate sediment transport equations whilst allowing for the changing geometric boundary condition of the channel bed and banks. Common current practice is to assume a single phase flow whereby the sediment concentration of sediment is coupled with the continuity and momentum equations for the water flow. ‘Morphological adjustments involved phased patterns of aggradations and degradation, together with changes in cross-sectional form, and in the number, size, location and shape of pools and crossings in the 1949-64’(Harmar, Clifford, Thorne and Biedenharn, 2005). This approach is only valid for relatively small sediment concentrations. Applying a two-phase flow approach should take account of the interaction between the water flow and the sediment movement, including the channel morphological evolution. However, the mathematical representation of such sediment-flow interaction is the subject of on-going research as is the selection of the correct turbulence model. For a review of morphological computational models for predicting changes in river bed levels over time due to the introduction of river engineering works (Novak, Guinot, Jeffrey and Reeve, 2010). The use of flood storage reservoirs enables the temporary storage of water to reduce the peak of the river flood, with the stored water being released back into the river after the flood has passed. However, great care must be taken if a dam is to be constructed across the path of the watercourse. For example, if the incoming flow is carrying a heavy sediment load, much of the sediment will settle in the reservoir, progressively reducing its effective capacity. This may also imply erosion of the river bed further downstream. The dam will also have considerable implications for the backwater levels. Reservoir systems often combine a water storage or hydroelectric scheme with the routing function to maximize economic viability. Design calculations for any systems start from hydrological data and information regarding flood waves in the existing channel. Options for more sustainable river engineering approach. Sustainable approach involves river rehabilitation and slopes reforestation. This option integrates river morphology and hydrology thus reducing Hydrodynamic risks associated with floods. However this is done when flooding is away from urban. When it is in an urban area proper simulation is carried out to determine water levels which cause flooding then proper drainage is designed. Some buildings have been raised above water levels in Mississippi area. River rehabilitation is where self sustaining is taken into consideration with the aim of improving the environment by controlling hydrostatic forces and encouraging ecological functioning (Miguez, Veról and Carneiro, 2012). This requires complex modification to the river areas which have buildings and other infrastructure such as roads, railway and other facilities. This requires storm water management plan which will look at change of causes and regulation of uses of river banks. This will ensure that the drainage network, siltation of rivers as well as garbage collection from riverbanks is taken care of. The design of an urban drainage system integrated with city development, aiming to reduce impacts on the hydrological cycle, acting on infiltration processes and allowing detention on artificial urban reservoirs, joining concerns, restrictions and synergies from Hydrodynamics Engineering and Urbanism appears as a fundamental option to treat urban floods. This measure will ensure that volumetric flow of the river is not affected as well the population is kept away from the flooding areas (Chadwick, Morfett and Borthwick, 2004). Conclusion There are changes to river Mississippi hydrostatic forces causing floods due to traditional river engineering approaches. New approaches which integrates river rehabilitation and slope reforestation is employed in non- urban areas while in urban areas proper drainage system as well as removing population from river banks to avoid siltation and broken coarse of river. This leads to comprehensive preparedness as well as flood related responses which will safe life. References Chadwick, A., Morfett, J. & Borthwick, M. 2004. Hydraulics in Civil and Environmental Engineering. London: Spon Press. Harmar, O. P., Clifford, N. J., Thorne, C. R. & Biedenharn, D. S. 2005. Morphological changes of the Lower Mississippi River: geomorphological response to engineering intervention. US Army Engineering Research and Development Center. River Research and Applications, 21(10):1107-1131. Miguez, M. G., Veról, A. P. & Carneiro, P. R, 2012. Sustainable Drainage Systems: An Integrated Approach, Combining Hydraulic Engineering Design, Urban Land Control and River Revitalisation Aspects. Intech Europe Novak, P. Guinot, V. Jeffrey, A. & Reeve, D., 2010. Hydraulic Modelling – An Introduction: Principles, Methods and Applications. Spon Press, London. Sills, G., Vroman, N., Wahl, R. & Schwanz, N., 2005. Overview of New Orleans Levee Failures: Lessons Learned and Their Impact on National Levee Design and Assessment. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Read More