Dholavira is the Indus Valley site in Gujarat noted for a large water-reservoir system.
Located on Khadir island in the Rann of Kutch, Dholavira developed in a dry environment where dependable water was scarce. Its inhabitants constructed channels, dams, wells, and numerous reservoirs to collect rainfall and divert seasonal streams. The system allowed the settlement to store water through periods when the region received little or no rain.
Archaeologists have identified sixteen or more reservoirs from one major phase of the city’s development. Some were excavated into bedrock, while others used the settlement’s natural slope. Large stone-lined tanks, stepped access points, and carefully planned drainage show that water management was integrated into the city’s architecture rather than added as a minor utility.
Dholavira is sometimes confused with other major Harappan sites such as Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, or Banawali. Those settlements are important for different discoveries, but Dholavira’s exceptionally visible hydraulic works are its signature feature. The site’s planning also included a fortified citadel, a middle town, a lower town, and evidence of long-distance trade.