India is said to rank third in: the world in dam building. The purpose of these dams chiefly has been to keep the floods in control as also to ensure proper water supply and generate hydroelectric power. These dams have also been called 'Modem Temples of India'. The present book is a detailed study of major embankments and its contribution to the progress of the country in general and the welfare of those living in neighbouring regions
in particular. The last chapter however discusses the controversies surrounding these dams and their social, economic and environmental ill effects.
Radhakant Bharati (b. 1939) has been a serious scholar of Geography. He has written a very popular book . Bharat ki Nadiyan in Hindi published by the National Book Trust, India which has also been translated into English. He has also edited Bhagirathi, a journal of water resources, for several years. He has to his credit a number of articles on geography, tourism, sociology etc published in reputed magazines and journals.