Direction for the following 6 (six) items: Read the following five passages and answer the items (41-46) that follow. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

In India, authorities always look to store the maximum amount of water in reservoirs during the monsoon season, which is then used for irrigation and generation of electricity during the summer months. It is an internationally accepted practice that the water level of a reservoir should be kept below a certain level before the onset of monsoon season. This is so that when monsoon rains come, there is space to store the excess rainwater and also so that water can be released in a regulated manner. But the authorities store the maximum amount of water in reservoirs even before the close of the monsoon, only to ensure greater electricity generation and irrigation.

With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. High risks involved in holding maximum water in reservoirs are due to our over-dependence on hydropower projects.
2. Storage capacity of dams should not be fully used before or during monsoon season.
3. Role of dams in flood control is underestimated in India.
Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

The correct option is 1, 2 and 3.

Let us analyze each of the assumptions based on the provided passage:
1. Assumption 1: High risks involved in holding maximum water in reservoirs are due to our over-dependence on hydropower projects.
The passage highlights that authorities fill reservoirs to capacity before the end of the monsoon specifically to ensure greater electricity generation (hydropower) and irrigation. Relying heavily on reservoirs for power generation creates pressure to maximize storage despite the associated flood risks, validating this assumption.

2. Assumption 2: Storage capacity of dams should not be fully used before or during monsoon season.
The passage explicitly states that according to internationally accepted practice, the water level should be kept below a certain level prior to the onset of the monsoon to allow space for excess rainwater and regulated release. Thus, fully filling storage capacity early goes against this practice and should be avoided.

3. Assumption 3: Role of dams in flood control is underestimated in India.
Because Indian authorities prioritize maximum storage for power and irrigation over leaving buffer space for incoming monsoon waters, the flood-moderating/control function of dams is secondary to utility storage, showing that its role in flood control is underestimated in practice.

Therefore, all three assumptions (1, 2, and 3) are valid in the context of the passage.