City: Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s cultural scene is a dynamic blend of history and modernity. From Kempegowda’s legacy to its evolving cosmopolitan spirit, the city embraces tradition and change equally. It boasts several cultural landmarks such as the Bengaluru Palace of the Wodeyar dynasty, Rangashankara, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum and Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR), alongside green retreats like the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Cubbon Park and Bannerghatta. From the neighbourhoods of Basavanagudi celebrating 'Kadlekai Parishe' (groundnut fair), flower shopping at Malleshwaram, to the renowned 'Karaga' in Chickpete, the city flaunts many micro-cultures tied to communities and shared local narratives. Bengaluru has also become a…

Aruna runs a tiffin stall on the footpath along Hosur Road, close to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Her setup is temporary—just a foldable cot to lay out her dishes, partially shielded by a blue tarpaulin. The stove and dosa tawa sit exposed to the elements. “When the sun is out, the heat becomes unbearable, and when it rains, we can’t make dosas at all. That directly affects our earnings,” she says. Every day, she spends nearly two hours setting up and packing down this makeshift stall, even though the tarpaulin sheets offer little protection from…

Bengaluru’s floods keep getting worse each year. Even before the monsoons arrived, the city was already submerged this year, raising serious questions about mitigation measures. While the state government continues to toot horns about more construction projects, like elevated corridors, tunnels and flyovers, basic storm water drain (SWD) infrastructure remains inadequate and incomplete, leading to urban flooding. For 2024-25, the Karnataka government has allocated ₹2,000 crore to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the ‘Karnataka Water Security and Disaster Resilience Initiative.’ In a press release dated May 17, 2025, BBMP had identified 209 flood-prone areas in Bengaluru, with mitigation…

Every day, they show up, in the relentless heat or pouring rain. Bengaluru's outdoor workers — traffic police, auto drivers, pourakarmikas, construction workers, street vendors and gig workers — battle dehydration, exhaustion, and health problems in extreme weather with hardly any relief. They keep the city running but get little in return. This photo-essay puts a spotlight on their daily struggles and calls for urgent heat mitigation measures. No exit lane from the heat: A traffic police officer’s account Three hours under the sun daily — not a choice but a daily reality for Assistant Sub-Inspector Satish KP of Bengaluru…

Despite water scarcity, Bengalureans let hundreds of litres of reject RO water down their drains every day without much thought. For every one litre of filtered water, RO (Reverse Osmosis) water purifiers waste 3.5 litres of water. But many Bengaluru households don't even require RO purifiers. “RO water purifiers have become a status symbol. Many residents do not know the purpose of the purifiers, let alone the water quality,” says Vinosh M Paul, independent water purifier sales and service technician in Bengaluru. So, do you need an RO unit?  What are RO water purifiers?  Reverse Osmosis (RO) is an advanced…

ಬುರಗುಂಟೆ ಗ್ರಾಮದ ಒಂದು ಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ರೂಪಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದೆ - ಇದು ಅಡುಗೆಮನೆಯ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಪೋಷಣೆಯಾಗಿ ಪರಿವರ್ತಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅದನ್ನು ಅಳವಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ಆ ಗೊಬ್ಬರವು ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿ ಆಹಾರ ಒದಗಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಸರಳ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಯಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾದ ಇದು ಈಗ ಲಲಿತಾ ಅಕ್ಕ ಎಂಬ ದೃಢನಿಶ್ಚಯವುಳ್ಳ ಮಹಿಳೆಯ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮೂಹಿಕ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವಾಗಿ ವಿಕಸನಗೊಂಡಿದೆ.  ಸರ್ಜಾಪುರದ ಆನೇಕಲ್ ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕಿನ ಬುರಗುಂಟೆ ಗ್ರಾಮದ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳು, ನಗರ ಮತ್ತು ಪಟ್ಟಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡುಬರುವ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ವಿಲೇವಾರಿ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸವನ್ನು ಬಹಳ ಹಿಂದಿನಿಂದಲೂ ಅನುಸರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು - ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಮಿಶ್ರ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಬಿಲ್ಲಾಪುರ ಗ್ರಾಮ ಪಂಚಾಯಿತಿಯಿಂದ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸುವ ವಾಹನಕ್ಕೆ ಹಸ್ತಾಂತರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಈ ವಾಹನವು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿದ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಭೂಕುಸಿತಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾಗಿಸುತಿತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಕಸವನ್ನು ಎಸೆಯಲಾಗುತ್ತಿತು ಅಥವಾ ಸುಡಲಾಗುತಿತ್ತು. ಬುರುಗುಂಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಸ್ಥಳೀಯರಿಗೆ ತಾವು ಅಳವಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ವಿಲೇವಾರಿಯ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸದಿಂದುಂಟಾಗುವ ದುಷ್ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅರಿವಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಅನೇಕ ಜನರು ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಹಾಗೂ ಮನೆಯ ಅಂಗಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಸಾಡುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಸುಡುತಿದ್ದರು, ಇದರಿಂದ ಅನೇಕ…

‘We don’t want white-topped roads, as they increase waterlogging and don't allow water to percolate’ is a common sentiment among many Bengalureans. While drawing more and more water from Cauvery river, Bengaluru is doing little to recharge its groundwater. With the city extracting 100% of its groundwater, citizens don't get water even after drilling down to 1,800 feet. Yet BBMP is white-topping our roads over the existing asphalt, without structures like rain gardens or bioswales to capture stormwater. But are Bengalureans right in believing that white-topping worsens flooding? The answer is complicated. Do white-topped roads hinder water recharge? Hearing a…

Ragiri Sankara is a cab driver based in Bengaluru. “Tackling the heat is a huge task these days,” he says. To be driving all day in the heat is very tiring; the car heats up very fast. “I pack different juices daily to keep myself cool,” he adds.  Gig workers, street vendors, waste pickers, construction labourers, and the urban poor face a higher risk of heat stress than the general population. Now that summer has ended and the monsoon is setting in, the government has once again failed to effectively manage heat stress in Bengaluru. The need for a localised…

The monsoon is just settling in to Bengaluru, however, the city is already under water, and residents are blaming the crumbling infrastructure and haphazard development in the city for the widespread waterlogging. Tractors and boats were engaged to rescue people stranded in flood-hit areas. Many companies have asked their employees to work from home, as many parts of the IT corridor were inundated. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Lokayukta has said that official negligence and poor inter-agency coordination were the key factors behind Bengaluru's flooding. Read more: Lack of stormwater drain planning in Bengaluru is a risk factor for future floods Why…

Migrant workers and their families, street vendors, gig workers, domestic help and many more—where do these people figure in city heat mitigation measures? India's heat action plans (HAPs) are falling short where it matters most. About 95% lack vulnerability assessments, leaving communities ill-prepared for rising temperatures, reveals a Centre for Policy Research study. Most plans fail to account for local contexts, oversimplify the hazards, and overlook the most at-risk populations. Bengaluru does not even have a heat action plan. In 2024, architect and climate researcher Ujjvala Krishna, along with other experts from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and…