During his 80 years Dr. Kanwar Sain won great honours, including Order of the British Empire, O.B.E., and Padma Bhushan.
[1] He was offered the Order of the Elephant by the Government of Thailand, but could not accept it, as he was serving with the United Nations.
For nearly half a century, the name of Dr. Kanwar Sain has been a byword for river projects and development of water resources both in India and abroad.
He was closely connected with major projects-from the Damodar Valley to the Rajasthan Canal, from Hirakud Dam, to the Narmada River Project.
Besides, he contributed his utmost in design and building up the Central Water and power Commission Dr. Sain's passionate involvement with his work - especially in saving Dibrugarh from floods and during the mishap at the Bhakra Dam, endeared him to his colleagues, both in India and abroad.