Module: | Subsistence, Agriculture & Animal Hubandry
Q9: Consider the following statements regarding the irrigation systems and water management for Harappan agriculture:
1. Archaeological traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site of Shortughai in Afghanistan.
2. Similar extensive canal networks have been well-preserved and heavily documented across the plains of Punjab and Sind.
3. Water reservoirs discovered at Dholavira in Gujarat may have been used to store water specifically to sustain agriculture.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
2. Similar extensive canal networks have been well-preserved and heavily documented across the plains of Punjab and Sind.
3. Water reservoirs discovered at Dholavira in Gujarat may have been used to store water specifically to sustain agriculture.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
✅ Correct Answer: B
🎯 Quick Answer:
Option B is correct because statement 2 is factually incorrect regarding the preservation of canals in Punjab and Sind.Structural Breakdown: Clear evidence of canal irrigation exists at Shortughai (Afghanistan). In Dholavira (Gujarat), massive rock-cut reservoirs were constructed to harvest and store monsoon runoff.
Additionally, water drawn from domestic and public wells was frequently used for localized irrigation.
Historical/Related Context: While Shortughai provides concrete proof of canal engineering, archaeologists have not found similar surviving canal traces in the core regions of Punjab and Sind.
Causal Reasoning: The absence of canal traces in Punjab and Sind is not necessarily proof that they never existed.
It is highly probable that ancient canals in these major river floodplains were completely silted up or washed away by millennia of recurring floods and shifting river courses, unlike the more isolated and preserved remnants in Afghanistan.