Abstract

In the early 1950's, yearning to develop a newly independent India, then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru heralded dams as the “temples of modem India.” Proponents today continue to extoll the potential benefits of dams-including clean water, irrigation, and energy. However, critics have begun to denounce dams as “tombs,” citing adverse social and environmental impacts. This article makes the case that, throughout the world, the reality of large dam projects is far more complex and variable than the extreme positions in the debate would acknowledge.