City: Bengaluru

Bengaluru gets its water from a reservoir 90 kilometres away and 350 metres below the city's elevation. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has to spend approximately  ₹3 crore daily on electricity charges to pump this water to meet only half the city's needs. This is for the four stages of Cauvery water supply, which provide 1,460 Million Litres a Day (MLD). With Cauvery Stage 5 delivering an additional 750 MLD, the costs are expected to rise significantly. On the other hand, the BWSSB, based on the findings of a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science…

Solid waste management is perhaps among the most overwhelming problems that Indian cities are grappling with today. But while the complexities around waste management in big cities are discussed widely, the challenges faced by smaller Indian cities and towns are even more complex due to limited scale, inadequate funding and institutional capacity constraints. Tier-1 and some Tier-2 cities have set up infrastructure and allocated resources for waste processing, but in general, small cities struggle to do so. As a result, waste processing in these cities is almost negligible, with only a few exceptions.   Chikkaballapura is a Tier-2 city located about…

As summer starts kicking in, the strong likelihood of a critical water shortage in Bengaluru is again making headlines. A recent report by BWSSB and Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) reported 80 wards that will face severe water crisis and scarcity this summer and recommended switching to Cauvery connections, as groundwater is depleting at a faster rate.  With back-to-back government orders on groundwater extraction and restrictions on water usage, the administration is scrambling to manage the crisis. Citizens, too, are acutely aware of the looming scarcity — many have already begun cutting down usage, and seeking alternative sources to brace…

The Karnataka state budgets for 2025–26 present an ambitious blueprint for Bengaluru. With allocations that rival national infrastructure plans — ₹40,000 crore for tunnel corridors, ₹8,916 crore for a double-decker flyover, and ₹27,000 crore for the newly coined “Bengaluru Business Corridor” the government appears determined to transform the city’s landscape. But this grand investment raises a deeper question: Is this a vision for a people-centred city or simply an infrastructure-centric spectacle? What emerges is a familiar story, not unique to Bengaluru but emblematic of urban development across India. Faced with growing chaos, the instinct is to “throw concrete at the…

Bengaluru, a city known for its vibrant streets and rapid urban growth, struggles with a critical yet overlooked issue: safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure. Footpaths, meant to provide safe passage for walkers, are often riddled with obstacles, forcing people to step onto busy roads and risk their safety. Arun Pai, the founder of BangaloreWALKS, brought together a group of citizens of Bengaluru to participate in a Footpath Challenge, an initiative aimed at documenting and addressing footpath-related hazards and showing how citizen action can create civic change. We walked 15-kilometres from Singayyanapalya Metro Station to Kadugodi Tree Park, documenting every obstruction…

Whether it is a quick bite of dosa, steaming idlis or spicy chaats, street food plays an integral part in Bengaluru’s urban life and culture with vendors offering diverse meals from their pushcarts and temporary stalls. Street food vending also supports livelihoods and vendors play an important role in providing affordable meals to the city’s working population. However, these stalls may pose challenges related to urban infrastructure, hygiene, waste disposal and environmental management. Regulations that govern urban street vending Recognising the significance of street vendors, the National Policy for Urban Street Vendors advocates for a supportive framework while maintaining urban hygiene and…

The rise of fast fashion, coupled with citizens’ limited awareness about waste disposal, has led to a textile waste challenge in Bengaluru. The city generates 220 tonnes of textile waste everyday, which accounts for 4% of its municipal waste. Managing urban textile waste goes beyond collection, sorting, and recycling — it should also take into account the needs of the frontline workers, the waste picker community. To address this challenge, waste pickers, with support from NGOs, have developed multiple solutions. In the past few years, they have set up Bengaluru’s first textile waste processing centre, a decentralised system to provide…

In an earlier article, we highlighted how Bengaluru lags behind in utilisation of funds received under the National Clean Air Programme, and how that, coupled with the lack of an elected municipal body, threatens the prospect of climate action. In November 2023, BBMP launched the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP), with the objective of addressing climate issues in the city.  Following the launch of the BCAP, a climate action cell was established in February 2024 to coordinate the work of different departments towards climate action. Some of these plans are to be realised utilising NCAP funds, either exclusively…

The recent hike in Namma Metro fares, announced by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), has evoked strong reactions from commuters. This analysis delves into the policies and decisions of both the Union and State governments over the past 12 years, drawing on documents available in the public domain and information obtained through RTI. An analysis of these documents suggests that all the three concerned authorities, namely the Government of India (GoI), Government of Karnataka (GoK) and BMRCL, must take their share of responsibility for the stiff increase in fares. Some of the decisions indicate that the metro has…

In the first part of this series, we explored the legal and practical challenges faced by apartment owners and associations and the need for clarity about the legislations that govern apartment ownership in Karnataka. Part 2 focused on frequently asked questions about the registration of apartment associations and took a closer look at the regulatory landscape in the State. Effective management of apartment associations is critical to ensure the smooth functioning of residential communities. However, disputes over maintenance charges, redevelopment processes, financial mismanagement and compliance with legal norms often create conflicts between stakeholders. Part 3 of our series on apartment…