1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

KO as far as Iqultos, Peru t 2 taDO miles upstream.
In New Guinea, rivers keep is0lated
native villagers in touch with the outside
world. Countries like Burma and
Thailand with few good roads depend heav­
Jy on rivers. Water routes in Thailand
handle about 80 percent of all internal
tra1lIc.
Floods and Flood Control
Although rivers have proved to be man's
good friend and valuable servant, they can
turn into powerful and feared enemies at
floodtime, causing much destruction of
property and lives. One of the most devastating
floods man has ever experienced occurred
in 1927 when the Mississippi and all
its chief tributaries went on a rampage at
the same time, flooding an area of thousands
of square miles and leaving about
100,000 people homeless. In some places
the Mississippi broadened to eighty miles,
carrying away houses and burying fanns
under eighteen feet of muddy water. People
and animals were trapped and drowned.
Undaunted by what may be considered
an overwhelming task, man has pitted his
brains against the tremendous forces unleashed
at floodtime and has succeeded in
taming many rivers. Trees have been
planted on bare mountain slopes to retard
the flow of water. Tidal rivers have been
dredged to increase their depth and facilitate
the passage of floodwater. NatW'al,
and in some cases artificial, obstructions
are removed, enabling the floodwaters to
pass more rapidly and lowering their
height. Flood-prediction services on many
rivers are able to foretell the arrival and
height of floods with remarkable accuracy
and telegraph timely warnings ahead.
one of the most effective measures has
been the building of dams across upper val·
leys of rivers. These not only help reduce
th,e height of floods but at the same time
provide for the storage of water. An ex­
Sl