City: Bengaluru

To achieve targets under the Karnataka Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy, BESCOM has set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 74 locations in Bengaluru, with 136 charging points. It plans to set up 300 more charging stations in collaboration with BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd), BBMP, apartment RWAs (Resident Welfare Associations), etc. GoK is amending the building bylaws to have malls, apartments, and high rise buildings provide dedicated EV charging points in their parking lots. Meanwhile, apartment complexes are already witnessing an increase in EV adoption among residents, leading to a demand for charging stations. To facilitate…

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we saw that Bengaluru’s drains are poorly designed and that the government doesn’t even have a full database of the drainage network even as many drains have gone missing. In this article, we explore why these stormwater drain works do not yield results. When a government department entrusts any work to a contractor, it should follow clear procedures to verify the completed works and make payments. But this seems anathema to BBMP's Stormwater Drain (SWD) Department. A 2021 audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), an independent watchdog body,…

On the evening of November 21st, parts of North Bengaluru were hit by a sudden thunderstorm. Jakkur, in the Yelahanka zone recorded 153 mm. Many layouts and apartments around Yelahanka were flooded. Visuals of a flooded Manyata Tech Park went viral on social media. November is expected to be the start of winter in Bengaluru and the end of the regular rains that start in April. As per the IMD Long Period Average (LPA) - the average rainfall between 1981 and 2010 - November gets average rainfall of only 49 mm, with four rainy days. But this November, IMD Bengaluru…

Two cases of Omicron found A 66-year-old South African national who flew from the city last month and a 46-year-old doctor with no travel history are the first two cases of Omicron in India, detected in Bengaluru. Both were fully vaccinated and showed only mild symptoms. The South African national had tested negative before leaving on November 27, and had not waited for his genome sequencing results to be confirmed. But none of his 24 primary and 240 secondary contacts have tested positive. Whereas the doctor's lack of travel history has raised worries over the possible presence of the new variant…

In Part 1 of this series, we saw that a CAG report of 2021 revealed Bengaluru does not have a complete map or database of its stormwater drain network. Drains are mapped in two master plans - the Revised Master Plan (RMP 2015) by the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority), and the BBMP’s master plan of drains. But the former does not indicate the type of drain (primary/secondary/tertiary), and the latter does not include tertiary/roadside drains at all. Neither plan has marked the buffer zones around drains; and many drains are missing in either document or both. Drains mapped in BBMP's…

On December 2nd, observed as National Pollution Control Day, the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) is launching an E-Vaahana campaign to facilitate the adoption of community Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations. BAF plans to reach out to over a million apartment residents who could benefit from one-stop access to the knowledge and rules on implementation/technology/choice of vendors for EV charging installation. BAF has partnered with the Energy/Industry departments of the state government, WRI (World Resources Institute) India, Apartment ADDA, Citizen Matters and EV charging vendors for the campaign. The campaign will kick off with a webinar on December 2nd. The federation,…

It takes very little to flood a road or home in Bengaluru. In recent weeks, rains have caused severe flooding in many parts of the city, especially in North Bengaluru. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the city’s stormwater drain (SWD) system, released this September, shows why this shouldn’t be a surprise at all.  In any city, stormwater drains are critical for: Preventing flood and its related effectMaintaining clean lakes/water bodiesGroundwater recharge But Bengaluru’s drainage system has been badly mismanaged by the city corporation BBMP’s Stormwater Drain (SWD) department, finds the audit report. The report covered…

It’s early morning, and the PfA Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre in Kengeri receives a call. A small bird with blue, green, and black wings is lying immobile on a terrace, said the caller. The roof, wet from incessant drizzle, is bespeckled with a handful of orange and white down feathers. Feral cats are on the prowl. The caller says he picked up the bird and placed it indoors, in a warm corner. He has no clue what this spectacular, multicoloured bird is, but the rescuer, already racing on his bike, knows only too well. A visiting Indian Pitta. Now…

Concrete walls around drains to fight floods Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai approved a proposal by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) to build concrete retaining walls around 88.5 km of stormwater drains (SWD) in the city. The project, costing Rs 962 crore, or as much as Rs 10.86 crore per km, is expected to free 58 low-lying areas from flood vulnerability. However, ecologists countered that concretisation would lead to fast surface runoff and also hinder the percolation of water into the ground, leading to flooding. The need of the hour is a more integrated and holistic approach to water management, they…

How Bengaluru households can reduce their water demand and consumption, especially through internal water metering, was the focus of a webinar on water management co-organised by Citizen Matters, Biome Environmental Trust, and the BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) on November 20th. Rajiv K N, Additional Chief Engineer, BWSSB, explained why water management was critical for Bengaluru. Once the Cauvery Stage V project is commissioned in 2023, the city will get its maximum allocation of 2225 MLD (Million Litres per Day) from the Cauvery river. However as per BWSSB's estimates, the city's water demand is expected to increase to…