Choose the correct statements for distinctive features of the Harappan planned 'drainage system':
(A) Roads and streets were laid out along an approximate "grid" pattern.
(B) It seems that streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them.
(C) Domestic waste water did not flow into the street drains.
(D) Every house needs to have at least one wall along a street.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Roads and streets were laid out along an approximate “grid” pattern. Correct. In the Lower Town, roads and streets ran along an approximate “grid” pattern, intersecting at right angles.
(B) It seems that streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them. Correct. The drains came first; houses were then built along the streets.
(C) Domestic waste water did not flow into the street drains. Incorrect. It did. Every house had its own bathroom, with drains connected through the wall to the street drains, so domestic waste water flowed into them.
(D) Every house needs to have at least one wall along a street. Correct. Since domestic waste water had to flow into the street drains, every house needed at least one wall along a street.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.1 Laying out drains … One of the most distinctive features of Harappan cities was the carefully planned drainage system. If you look at the plan of the Lower Town you will notice that roads and streets were laid out along an approximate ‘grid’ pattern, intersecting at right angles. It seems that streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them. If domestic waste water had to flow into the street drains, every house needed to have at least one wall along a street. 3.2 Domestic architecture … Every house had its own bathroom paved with bricks, with drains connected through the wall to the street drains.…” |