RAS question
Which IVC site had a sophisticated water management system with multiple reservoirs?
Correct answer: (D) Dholavira.
Dholavira was the Indus Valley Civilisation site known for a sophisticated water management system with well-structured reservoirs.
Explanation
Dholavira is the right answer because the site combined Harappan urban planning with an unusually developed water-conservation system. It lies on Khadir island in the Rann of Kutch, where the arid setting made water storage essential for survival. The Press Information Bureau identifies Dholavira as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the arid island of Khadir in Kachchh district and describes it as a well-preserved Harappan site that shows advanced town-planning skills, a sophisticated water-conservation system, and well-structured reservoirs. Its three-part settlement plan and signboard are further markers of why Dholavira is treated as a distinctive IVC site.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lothal is associated with a dockyard, not Dholavira's multiple-reservoir water-conservation system.
- (B) Mohenjo-daro is linked with the Great Bath, while Dholavira is linked with the broader reservoir-based water-conservation system.
- (C) Harappa is associated with granaries rather than the elaborate reservoir network central to Dholavira's urban planning.
Concept
Site-specific features of the Indus Valley Civilisation show how Harappan urban planning responded to local ecology. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because one distinctive feature often separates otherwise similar Harappan sites.