Which evidence most safely indicates knowledge of artificial water management in Vedic texts?

Vedic vocabulary includes references interpreted as dug wells, channels or artificially obtained water, but assigning the absolute “first mention of canals” to one Veda depends on translation and definition. The revised item tests the evidence without inventing a modern canal system. References to dug or artificially obtained water fits that evidence because it matches the specific chronology, agency and function contained in the question. A comparison with the alternatives is useful: A dated stone canal map, A manual for concrete dams and An inscription naming a canal ministry are genuine historical terms or names, but each belongs to a different office, patron, text, region or sequence. The common error is to select the most familiar option without checking whether it performs the role described in the stem. The compact memory link is therefore References to dug or artificially obtained water together with the factual context above, not the isolated option letter.