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? ​

The correct answer is A) Dholavira. This Harappan city in Kutch, Gujarat, is the classic example of Indus Valley water management. Its builders cut channels and reservoirs into the rock, built dams and embankments across seasonal streams, and linked the reservoirs so that monsoon run-off could be stored and used through the dry months. Dholavira is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in July 2021.

• B) Kalibangan: Known for its ploughed field, fire altars and the Ghaggar-side settlement in Rajasthan. No elaborate reservoir system.
• C) Rakhigarhi: A large Harappan site in Haryana, notable for its size and excavations of the Harappan settlement, not for dams or linked reservoirs.
• D) Ropar: A Harappan site on the Sutlej in Punjab, known for its burials and cemetery evidence, not water harvesting.

The core concept is Harappan urban planning and hydraulic engineering. For Mains GS1 (Art and Culture) you can use Dholavira to argue that the Harappans were sophisticated planners, and for GS3 the same site shows how water conservation through reservoirs is a very old idea.

Trap: Aspirants pick Rakhigarhi because it is the largest Harappan site, or Kalibangan because of its famous ploughed field. Size and fame are not the same as the specific feature the question asks about.