出版社：Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
摘要：A playful analysis of different aspects of the flood phenomenon brings some unexpected inspections. We can survey not only different economical, technical and ecological issues, but also observe the whole topic from the points of view of changing climate, insurance, and cultural history, sociology and even philosophy and religion. Floods under natural conditions played an integral part of functioning of riverine ecosystems and if respected, they were more beneficial then detrimental for farming in the past. But rivers confined to artificial channels and deprived of buffering areas within their catchment are naturally dangerous. Their "naturalness by nature” has been violated but not tamed, it just changed. This "naturalness by adaption” causes new difficulties. Figuratively spoken, canalization of riverbeds and settlements within river´s inundation area is by no means a fair settlement between man and river. They shift floods to deluge and the dynamics of such a natural element is not to be encountered with overall fortification. The author concludes, that there are three possible reasons for flood disasters: either the mankind is too demanding in exploitation of natural resources, or too numerous, or we do not understand properly the nature of rivers.
