Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Dholavira
Dholavira, a Harappan city on Khadir island in the Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, lived in a dry region fed only by two seasonal streams. Its people dammed these streams and led the water through channels into a chain of interconnected stone and rock-cut reservoirs, the most elaborate water-harvesting system known from the Harappan world.
- ✓ (a) Water from two nearby streams was diverted by dams and canals into a series of deep, interconnected tanks within the city; UNESCO, which inscribed Dholavira as a World Heritage Site in 2021, highlights this water management system.
- ✗ (b) Kalibangan in Rajasthan is famous for an Early Harappan ploughed field with furrows at right angles, suggesting two crops grown together.
- ✗ (c) Rakhigarhi in Haryana is known as one of the largest Harappan settlements, not for a reservoir system.
Remember · Dholavira (Kachchh, Gujarat): dams, channels and interconnected reservoirs, stone architecture, signboard inscription; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 9 · Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 4 “Here, water from the two nearby streams was diverted by building dams and canals into a series of deep tanks to conserve it within the site boundary.”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Dholavira: a Harappan City ↗ “A sophisticated water management system demonstrates the ingenuity of the Dholavira people in their struggle to survive and thrive in a harsh environment.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 1 “Archaeologists have also found evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan), associated with Early Harappan levels”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·