Gabarbands
Topic: Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvati) Civilisation · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 4 "Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation"
Meaning
Gabarbands are low stone walls built across seasonal streams in the hills of Baluchistan. They work like check dams, which are small barriers that slow down flowing water. They held back rainwater and the soil it carried, so crops could be grown behind them. They are linked to the early farming communities of the region before and around the Harappan period. They show early skill in water management in a dry land.
Example
In the dry valleys of Baluchistan, farmers built gabarbands across streams that flowed only after rain. The trapped water and silt made small fields usable. This was an early form of the water care that later appears in Dholavira's large stone reservoirs.
Don't confuse with
- Dholavira reservoirs: Dholavira's reservoirs were large stone and rock-cut tanks inside a Mature Harappan city. Gabarbands were small field walls built by village farmers in the hills.