Q2 of 33 Page 11

Describe the town planning of the Indus valley civilization?

Indus Valley Civilization is prominently known for its extensive and advanced town planning and systematic urban landscape. Important towns were those of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Kalibangan and Rakhigadi. It features an impressive town plan that includes housing, drainage system and roadways.
a. Housing:
The cities were divided into many blocks, along well-planned roadways. The houses were lined along the roads which had a layout of a main open courtyard and rooms around it. They had separate bathrooms and toilets, and every house had a system to store water.

b. Road Pattern:
The roads were built from North to South and East to West in a straight line, where roads intersected at right angles. Main roads were 10 metres wide and small roads were 5 meters wide, each having dustbins on either side to collect garbage.


c. Drainage System:
The civilization had an emphasis on public cleanliness and hygiene with a focus on utilities rather than fashion. All the main and other roads were lined with covered drains that kept the dirty water out of the town. Dustbins were kept at regular intervals on roadways.


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