Presenter: Irene Klock
Mentors: Leslie McLees, Geography
Poster: 39
Major: Geography and Japanese
River linking, the connecting of water canals to divert water to regions that wouldn’t usually receive it, is an important solution to the water crisis in India. The agricultural sector benefits from river linkage through increases in both job and food security on local and national scales. In south India, the water deprived state of Tamil Nadu is planning to create a flood carrier channel by interlinking the Tamiraparani, Karumeniyar, and Nambiar rivers. My research focuses on the potential social and environmental impacts of this flood carrier channel on surrounding villages. I gathered data through a series of surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with the local communities. I then analyzed how the current water system drives local farming practices and compared it to how the new system could change them through alterations in geography, population, and long term traditions.