With parts of the pipes (1) being covered after laying of the canal (2) and construction material and debris strewn ( 3) along the banks, encroachers (4) are taking over the canal.
In the question below four words are given in bold. These four words are may not be in their correct position. The sentence is then followed by options with the correct combination of words that should replace each other in order to make the sentence grammatically and contextually correct. Find the correct combination of the words that replace each other.

The correct option is Only 1- 2.

Let us analyze the original sentence:
"With parts of the pipes (1) being covered after laying of the canal (2) and construction material and debris strewn (3) along the banks, encroachers (4) are taking over the canal."

In this context, the phrase "laying of the canal" is contextually incorrect because canals are excavated, dug, or constructed, whereas pipes are physically "laid" (i.e., "laying of the pipes"). Additionally, it makes more sense for "parts of the canal" to be covered up, which facilitates encroachers taking it over.

If we swap word (1) pipes with word (2) canal, the sentence becomes:
"With parts of the canal (1) being covered after laying of the pipes (2) and construction material and debris strewn (3) along the banks, encroachers (4) are taking over the canal."

This swap makes the sentence grammatically correct and logically coherent. The words "strewn" (3) and "encroachers" (4) are already in their correct positions and do not need to be changed. Therefore, only words 1 and 2 need to be interchanged.