Human Settlement
As discussed above, river valleys provided the perfect space for human civilizations to grow. Even in modern times, we see most big cities across the world are situated around rivers. As a river fulfills several day-to-day needs of modern human lives, this is why areas around rivers are more potent for attracting people to settle around it. Thus, it helps in the development of a city with umpteen numbers of economic opportunities for people. The primary reason for the building and development of cities like Agra (R.Yamuna), Varanasi (R. Ganga), Guwahati (R. Brahmaputra), Prayagraj (confluence of R. Ganga and R. Yamuna), Delhi (R. Yamuna), Kolkata (R. Hooghly) was the fact that they are located around some river. One of the most significant projects is the Sabarmati Riverfront Development project in Ahmedabad. These developments have helped the region to improve the socio-economic atmosphere and eventually, to develop urban centers.
Role of Rivers in Indian Economy
Since the inception of human civilization, rivers have been a significant part of human lives. Water has been the most precious natural resource since time immemorial. In fact, the earliest known human settlements were started around the river banks, for instance, the Indus valley civilization. The primary reason for these developments was the potential of rivers as a source of livelihood and to generate economic activities around them. Over the period, as human civilizations across the nation began to develop, the dimensions of rivers as a source of the economy also increased. Let’s discuss some spheres where we find the economic importance of rivers.
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