Question

Deforestation is responsible for flood as well as drought .Justify the statement.

Answer 1

Trees absorb water during rain. They are like natural water tanks. If trees are cut the water cannot be absorbed so it goes where gravity takes it, this causes floods.

A part of the rain water is absorbed by the soil. Due to deforestation soil erosion occurs because of the wind movement. The forests do not allow the wind to blow at great speed. In the absence of forests the wind blows very fast, evaporates water from the soil and blows away the dust which leads to soil erosion. Less water is absorbed due to soil erosion.

Ultimately due to deforestation and soil erosion the place dries up since water is not absorbed. This disrupts the natural water cycle and leads to a drought and also causes heavy rainfalls and floods.

Answer 2

Forests naturally absorb water from rainfall and slowly release the water into the rivers. After deforestation, rainfall flows too quickly to the rivers stripping the topsoil and causing erosion and flooding to occur. When these floods break the river's banks, further problems arise as the path of the river changes and further soil erosion occurs along the river's new path. Deforestation also makes an area more arid contributing to droughts.