Synopsis
Rivers provide food and water, but they can also flood or freeze. Human Planet meets people for whom rivers can be both a risk to life and a lifeline.
- Programme: Human Planet
- Episode: 07: Rivers - Friend and Foe
- Channel: BBC One
- Broadcast year: 2011
- Geography
Licence: ERA Licence required
Free to watch for UK schools, colleges and universities with an ERA Licence
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
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More resources about Rivers and Flooding
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