Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

THE RISK OF INUNDATIONS INDUCED BY THE FLOODS ON THE
RIVERS FROM ALMAS-AGRIJ DEPRESSION
AND CLUJ - DEJ HILLS
Alina-Daciana Dumitra
Faculty of Geography, Babes-Bolyai University – Cluj-Napoca
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to analyse several aspects of the floods on the rivers from
Almas-Agrij Depression and Cluj and Dej Hills, because they often generated
catastrophic inundations.
In this work it were used series of data for 28 years within the interval 1976-2004
of nine hydrometrical stations: Almaş, Hida, Românaşi, in the Almaş-Agrij Depression,
and: Căpuşu Mare, Mera ( Rădaia), Aghireş, Maia, Borşa and Luna de Jos, in the Cluj
and Dej Hills, on the: Almaş, Agrij, Căpuş, Nadăş, Olpret, Borşa and Lonea rivers. The
main purpose of the study was to distinguish some aspects of floods that would
constitute a very important help for the prediction, the prevention and the diminishment
of the hydrological risks. Thus, the work presents the floods formation, analyses their
frequency of occurrence and describes some characteristics of flash floods (debits,
duration) from the area. The study represents a preliminary stage for further analysis
regarding the hydrological risks in the Almaş-Agrij Depression and the Cluj and Dej
Hills.
Key words: floods, risk of inundations
INTRODUCTION
From the beginnings the human societies were attracted by the riversides and took the
risk of living there (Pandi, 2002).
The inundations represent the most often spread hasard on Earth, with numerous
losses of human lives and material damages of huge proportions. Inundation means the
temporary cover of an area with stagnating or moving waters, as a consequence of the
raise in levels of a river, lake or other mass of water (Sorocovschi, 2002).
Catastrophic inundations are often generated by river floods. Floods represent the
significant growth and decrease of water discharge in the river bed (Mustăţea, 2005),
which, along with large waters, are phases of the flood flow that could take place in any
period of the year. They represent natural phenomena that are part of the chain of
normal events concerning water discharge.
The spatial allocation and amplitude of the floods are determined by natural and
also by antropic factors, depending on which their effects are different.
The climate has the main role in the formation of floods. The general circulation
of the atmosphere is the genetic factor which determines the non-periodical variation of
hydrological regime. Rainfall play the decisive part in producing the highest discharges.
Heavy rains usually affect small areas and determine floods in small catchement areas.
Morphology exerts its influence indirectly upon the discharge by: determining the
vertical zonality, the configuration, fragmentation and exposition of slopes.
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