After tracing the developments of the arch dams‡ the various methods used in the design are briefly explained. The limitations of the various methods indicate that Model Analysis alone can give a quick and satisfactory solution,. The design criteria for modern arch dams is then outlined. It is to be noted that the volume of some of the recent arch dams are very small compared with those of the gravity dams. These values areas small as 18 per cent. to 40 per cent. in some of the modern dams. It is, therefore, very necessary that arch dams are built in our country wherever sites are suitable.
