In recent years, multipurpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and opposition for a variety of reasons. (i) Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow and lead to sedimentation and rockier stream beds which become poorer habitates for aquatic life. (ii) Fragmentation of the river, its diverson and barricading due to building of dams affect migration and spawning of aquatic life. (iii) The reservoirs that are created on the floodplain overflow and submerge the existing vegetation and soil and consequently lead to their decomposition and land degradation. (iv) Ironically, the dams that were constructed with the objective of flood control have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir and release of excess water during heavy rains. (v) The primary cause of resistance to some multipurpose projects like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’ by activists of social and ecological movements is large scale displacement of local communities who lose their livelihood when ousted from their land for the projects. (vi) Landowners and large farmers, industrialists and a few urban centres are benefitted while the more numerous local people who give up their land for the projects hardly receive any benefit. This widens the social gap between the rich and the poor and leads to social tensions. (vii) Interstate water disputes with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of multi-purpose projects are leading to tension between states, e.g. Kaveri-Godavari dispute, Sabarmati water dispute. (viii) It has also been observed that multipurpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water borne-diseases and pests, and led to pollution resulting from excessive use of water.