City: Bengaluru

Traffic congestion and and mobility are among Bengaluru's topmost concerns today. In the run up to the elections, as the spotlight turns on how the city's sitting MPs have performed over the last five years, their actions and stance on this issue certainly deserves some scrutiny. How have they engaged with the issue? Did they propose any solutions? The major traffic & mobility issues In 2019, Bengaluru recorded the second highest number of vehicle, with over 80 lakh. Nearly 84% of households have motor vehicles. Lack of first and last mile connectivity, reduced bus ridership, under-completion of metro connectivity across…

Did air quality improve in 2023? The air quality in the city improved last year, shows the ‘World Air Quality’ report. The average PM2.5 value was 28.6 micrograms per cubic metre as against 31.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 - better than since 2018. The report has ranked the city as the third most polluted in India and 673rd among 7,812 global cities. However, it is proven to be less polluted than many other metropolitan cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. However, experts said that the improved air quality is due to climatic changes, such as the El Nino…

Bengaluru grapples with a persistent water stress, worsened by the decline in rainfall, overexploitation of groundwater and decreasing Cauvery River levels. The water crisis has led experts and the government to reconsider using lakes as a source of water, either by storing treated wastewater or harvested rainwater. The draining of lakes, like Bellandur and Varthur, for desilting has contributed to a major part of the groundwater crisis in Bengaluru. However, with the upcoming monsoon predicted to be normal, there is a looming concern regarding the lakes in the city. The anticipated rains may bring one of the highest influxes of…

The garbage issue is escalating into a nightmare for residents of Ilyas Nagar, a residential locality in south Bengaluru's Yelachenahalli.  As you take a left turn from the Outer Ring Road to enter the BWSSB Pipeline Road, which connects 100 feet Ring Road, just a few metres inside, you will see a garbage dump along the roadside. And as you move ahead, 50 metres from Razor King saloon, you can see another bigger garbage dump. Despite garbage vans coming to their doorstep, some residents choose to dump waste along the side of the BWSSB Pipeline Road.  The road is poorly…

Limits on using water The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has drawn up some guidelines to celebrate Holi on March 25th. While the festival can be followed in households or in public, potable water for any such event cannot be used. A rain or pool dance should not be organised for monetary gains and Cauvery or borewell water should not be leveraged for the event, said BWSSB Chairman, V. Ramprasath Manohar. However, several hotels are selling tickets for pool parties. Meanwhile, it is mandatory for bulk water users to install flow restrictors or aerators by the end of…

At the best of times, mornings in a family of four are probably exhausting, particularly for women. Ensuring that everyone eats, gets dressed, heads to school or work on time and in one piece can be chaotic. But mornings in a hot Bengaluru without water is downright soul crushing, says Kala, a 38-year-old woman living in Krishnanapalya. The water shortage in several parts of the city has disrupted the lives of low-income families and put public institutions like schools and hospitals on the edge. Krishnanapalya lies in east Bengaluru. Unlike the 110 villages in the peripheral areas of the city,…

The theme for Mount Carmel College's Platinum Jubilee last year was ‘Herstory'. However, starting from this academic year, the college will not entirely be 'hers' since Mount Carmel, which has been a women's college for 75 years, has opened admissions to boys. Dr. Lekha George, principal of Mount Carmel College, says this decision was not taken overnight. "It was in discussion for a few years and the management took a call to start it this year." Mismanaged communication The students have expressed disappointment over the way the announcement was made. “It was posted on social media, even before we, the…

As per a recent report, it was estimated that in 2021-22, only 3% of the population of India pays up to 10 lakh in taxes, alluding that the rest are dependent on this. This begs the following questions: Are you employed? Do you have a regular source of income? Do you pay income tax? Do you purchase provisions, clothing, household goods, eyewear, footwear, fashion accessories, vehicles, furniture, or services such as haircuts, or pay rent and EMIs? If you do any of the above, do you notice the GST charges on your purchases, along with other taxes like tolls, fuel…

Ways to manage water To tackle the water crisis , the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has banned using potable water to clean vehicles, gardening, construction, fountains, swimming pools and entertainment other than drinking water in cinema halls and malls. It imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 for violators. It is now mandatory to take prior approval ahead of drilling borewells in the city's limits, as over 3,000 borewells have dried up. The transport department has been asked to impound private water tankers. The water shortage has hit citizens in various ways. Many reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water plants…

The traffic congestion at Outer Ring Road (ORR)-Sarjapura Road has been a long-standing issue. To address this, Citizen Matters held a panel discussion, ‘Solving Sarjapura-ORR Gridlock’ on February 26th. Moderated by Meera K, co-founder of Citizen Matters, the panel included G T Prabhakar Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager, BMTC; Vivekanand Kotikalapudi, Urban Mobility Advisor; Mukund Kumar, Managing Trustee, Iblur Environs Trust; and Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow- Integrated Transport and Road Safety, WRI India.  Sarjapura Road is an integral connection to the IT corridor of south-east Bengaluru. ORR is completely developed with a focus on tech parks. There is currently a surge in…