The shape of modern Asia -- Water and empire -- This parched land -- The aqueous atmosphere -- The struggle for water -- Water and freedom -- Rivers divided, rivers dammed -- The ocean and the underground -- Stormy horizons -- Epilogue: history and memory at the water's edge

"Despite its ferociously wet climate of monsoons and cyclones, Asia contains less usable freshwater than any continent except Antarctica. Nevertheless, more than half the world's population calls Asia home. The struggle for water has been a driving force in modern Asian history. In [this book], historian Sunil Amrith boldly reimagines Asia's history through the stories of its rains, rivers, coasts, and seas--and of the weather-watchers and engineers, mapmakers and farmers who have sought to tame and control them. From the nineteenth century to the present, dreams and fears of water have informed visions of political independence and economic development, provoked efforts to transform nature through dams and pumps, and unleashed powerful tensions within and between nations. Starting in India, which is at the heart of the story, Amrith traces this dramatic history by following the monsoons, the mountain rivers, and the ocean currents as they cross Asia's borders, linking South Asia with China and Southeast Asia. Today, India, China, and other Asian nations are racing to construct hundreds of dams in the Himalayas, with dire environmental impacts far downstream. Hundreds of millions of people live in Asia's coastal cities, increasingly threatened by cyclones and storm surges. In an age of climate change, Unruly Waters is an urgent new perspective on the history of Asia, and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how the continent's past shapes and constrains its possible futures."--Dust jacket