This book investigates the socio-economic and environmental consequences of groundwater extraction technologies on agrarian structures in Gujarat, India. Navroz K. Dubash, an expert in environmental policy and development, utilizes extensive field research to analyze how the proliferation of tubewells has reshaped rural power dynamics and resource management. The work argues that technological interventions in water access are not neutral, but rather deeply embedded in existing social hierarchies and political economies.

Experts recognize this volume as a critical contribution to the study of environmental history and rural development in South Asia. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the research and its utility for understanding the complex intersection of technology, policy, and local ecology.