Channelization

n. act of channeling (also channelisation)

River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and behaviour of rivers since before recorded history - to manage the water resources, to protect against flooding or to make passage along or across rivers easier. From Roman times, rivers have been used as a source of hydropower. From the late 20th century, river engineering has had environmental concerns broader than immediate human benefit and some river engineering projects have been concerned exclusively with the restoration or protection of natural characteristics and habitats.
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Noun
1. management through specified channels of communication
(synonym) channelisation, canalization, canalisation
(hypernym) management, direction
(derivation) transmit, transfer, transport, channel, channelize, channelise

The use of a single wideband, i.e., high-capacity, facility to create many relatively narrowband, i.e., lower capacity, channels by subdividing the wideband facility. (188 )

Straightening and deepening streams so water will move faster, a marsh-drainage tactic that can interfere with waste assimilation capacity, disturb fish and wildlife habitats, and aggravate flooding.