Once known for its pleasant climate, Bengaluru now faces a climate crisis. Rapid urbanisation, vehicular emissions, and construction dust have led to hazardous air pollution, with PM2.5 and PM10 levels endangering health. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, vanishing green cover, and rampant concretisation have intensified the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Erratic rainfall and groundwater depletion further threaten a water emergency, affecting households across the city.
The Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP) was introduced in November 2023 to build adaptation and resilience against climate change, but implementation gaps persist. The absence of a dedicated climate budget, lack of transparency in climate initiatives, and poor coordination across departments hinder effective climate action.
The Bengaluru Climate Action Cell (BCAC), established in February 2024, aims to address these challenges by fostering coordination, ensuring accountability, and implementing targeted policies to combat the climate crisis.
Bengaluru’s quest for clean air
“We will introduce Clean Air Zones in key commercial and high-traffic areas where entry to high-emission vehicles will be restricted,” informs Preeti Gehlot, Chairperson, BCAC and Special Commissioner (Forest, Environment and Climate Change Management), BBMP, talking about measures to curb pollution. In an email interview with Citizen Matters, she answered our questions that sought to uncover whether the city’s climate action efforts are making a real impact — or if they risk becoming yet another bureaucratic exercise.
Excerpts from the interview:
Budgeting for climate action
BCAP lacks a dedicated climate budget and key departments often work in silos, while BCAP is supposed to be a collaborative process. How will BCAC address these challenges?
The Bengaluru Climate Action Cell (BCAC) has initiated the climate budgeting process this year, aligning it with BBMP’s ₹10,000 crore budget for 2024-25. Just because projects/actions are not named as climate-oriented does not mean that funds were not allocated to climate-related initiatives in the past. Many works contributing to climate action were already being undertaken across departments. By retrospectively tagging last year’s budget, we identified that more than 30% of expenditures aligned with climate action. We are conducting a detailed analysis of the past 2–3 years’ budget and expenditure to further refine our approach. Since this is a new initiative, it will take time to develop a more structured framework.
To enhance inter- and intra-departmental coordination, we have a dedicated team working closely with government and non-governmental stakeholders.
Many ongoing initiatives — including the Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation policy, Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) guideline integration, solar rooftop projects, Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge, Yuvahasiru Rakshaka, and Clean Air Zones — require collaboration across multiple departments, such as Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited, BESCOM, the Education Department, the Electrical Department, the Horticulture Department, and Town Planning.
The BCAC actively facilitates these efforts to ensure that departments work in alignment with the broader climate action goals rather than in isolation.
Recording progress
Although the BCAP portal is an open platform with prompt updates on meeting proceedings, there has been no action status update even after a year. How do you plan to address this?
The BCAC is in its early stages and is working cohesively to implement the BCAP. Building a strong foundation with robust data, research, and measurable targets takes time, as does achieving tangible results. Effective implementation also requires collaboration across multiple departments, which involves careful coordination and sustained efforts.
Currently, we update and promote initiatives undertaken by our department. While there are no fixed monthly or yearly timelines for implementation, we are actively working on a follow-up mechanism to improve tracking. A tool providing more detailed progress updates will be developed and made available in the upcoming year.
Additionally, we are in the process of creating a dashboard on the BCAP website, which will offer real-time updates on the progress of various initiatives. This will ensure better transparency and accessibility for all stakeholders. This may take 6-8 months.
Read more: BBMP budget 2024-25: Allocations and climate action plan in conflict
Promoting improved urban mobility
Vehicular emissions contribute heavily to Bengaluru’s air pollution. What has BBMP done under BCAP to address this, and how will BCAP-BCAC promote public and non-motorised transport to bring down vehicular pollution in the city?
While individual departments are responsible for implementing specific aspects of the plan (e.g., BMTC for buses, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for the metro), BCAC plays a crucial coordinating role. BCAC facilitates communication and collaboration between departments to ensure that the various initiatives align with the broader climate action goals of BCAP.
- To drive emission-free public transportation, BMTC is expanding its electric bus fleet, positioning itself as the key agency overseeing this transition. The BCAC will provide insights from BCAP action tracks, ensuring that BMTC’s efforts align with Bengaluru’s broader climate goals. This includes optimising routes, charging infrastructure, etc, to strategise the environmental and economic benefits of electric mobility.
- BCAP is committed to transforming urban mobility by promoting Non-Motorised Transport (NMT). The Directorate of Urban Land Transport is the main stakeholder here, and BCAC will coordinate with them. There are plans to develop a public bike-sharing system (PBS) and expand cycling lanes.
- To combat vehicular emissions, BCAP is introducing a concept of Clean Air Zones in key pollution hotspots, such as commercial districts and high-traffic corridors. This will be implemented in coordination with Traffic Police and Transport departments. High-emission vehicles will be restricted from entering these zones. Strict emission norms, inspections, and digital surveillance will ensure compliance and promote cleaner mobility alternatives.
Recording GHG emissions
Is there a framework in place for accounting and reporting GHG emissions in different parts of the city, and how is the information going to be used to tackle air pollution?
Bengaluru is helped by C40 Cities and follows the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) to account for and report GHG emissions across key sectors, including stationary energy, transportation, waste, industry, and land use. The inventory categorises emissions into three scopes: direct emissions, indirect emissions from electricity and other indirect emissions to ensure comprehensive tracking and management.
The city integrates GHG data with air quality monitoring through Pathways-AQ, a spatial analysis tool that links PM2.5 emissions to sources like transport, industry, and waste.
The key areas contributing to high consumption-based emissions include food, buildings and infrastructure, clothing and textiles, electronics and electrical appliances, private transport, and aviation. Given Bengaluru’s rapid urbanisation and economic growth, reducing these emissions requires targeted interventions such as sustainable food systems, green building policies, circular economy practices, and electric mobility adoption. Additionally, consumption-based emissions vary by region, making localised strategies essential for effective climate action in the city.
We, along with C40, have conducted one inventory round in 2019 and are now planning for another round. There is no comprehensive tool as of date.
Addressing water scarcity
Despite BCAP’s focus on recycled water and equity, 80 wards still face severe water scarcity. What actions have been taken, and what are the immediate plans?
BCAC has been established to get the key departments together and work cohesively towards mitigation. Key departments involved in this sector include the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (which is the main department with this regard), the Lakes Department, and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
BBMP, keeping in view the seriousness of water scarcity, has taken initiatives within its purview
- BBMP plans to construct rainwater harvesting pits at 15-metre intervals along 85 km of high-density corridors, with a total investment of ₹61 crore.
- In the past 1–1.5 years, BBMP, in collaboration with funders, has built over 700 percolation and recharge structures in parks to enhance groundwater recharge and rainwater percolation. Additionally, BBMP plans to construct water storage facilities in all parks to utilise rainwater and reduce reliance on potable water.
- On February 21st, BBMP released a road manual to be followed moving forward. The manual emphasises better footpaths made with permeable materials, enhancing walkability, drainage, and sustainability in the city’s infrastructure.
- BBMP has planted 1 lakh saplings in 2023–24 and 1.13 lakh saplings in 2024–25. This has helped with increasing the green cover of Bangalore.
- BBMP oversees 183 live lakes, of which 136 have been rejuvenated. This effort helps preserve biodiversity, enhance water storage capacity, and improve groundwater levels, contributing to sustainable urban water management.
- BBMP manages 859.9 km of stormwater drains (SWD), with 686 km already developed. To enhance drainage capacity and accommodate more stormwater, encroachments around lakes and SWDs have been cleared, ensuring better water flow and flood mitigation.
- BCAC, in collaboration with Biome Environmental Solutions, WellLabs and other expert organisations, is rejuvenating open wells by integrating rainwater harvesting systems to naturally replenish aquifers. Locations are identified through an online tool where citizens can suggest sites.
- To ensure effective on-the-ground implementation, localised Ward Climate Action Plans are being developed. These plans aim to facilitate the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in BBMP buildings and identify potential eco-sponge spaces for rainwater infiltration.
- Moreover, through the Blue-Green Infrastructure Network (BGIN) group, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are being developed for urban greening, recharge and open wells. The BGIN is also creating guidelines for lake restoration and wetland construction.
Read more: BCAP: Bengaluru’s first step towards achieving net-zero by 2050
Greening initiatives
What progress has been made under the Urban Planning, Greening, and Biodiversity sector?
- Mapathon in Bommanahalli Zone (June 2024): It helped identify urban greening sites, following which we planted 8,000 seedlings in the Bommanahalli zone. Based on its success, another Mapathon is planned for March–April 2025 in a new zone. Virtual Mapathon is available year-round online via a link on the website, allowing continuous citizen participation.
- Tree manual for urban greening: Drafting a Standard Operating Procedure covering species selection, soil and nutrient needs, nature-based solutions (rain gardens, bioswales) and integration with urban water systems.
- Tree Census: Ongoing project to gather data on tree health, species, and canopy coverage. The census helps analyse shade and UHI effects, guiding targeted greening actions. The goal is to count all the trees across Bangalore, with three lakh covered so far.
- Plantation around lakes and parks: BBMP is planting seedlings in the catchment areas of lakes and in BBMP parks to restore biodiversity. We planted 20,000 trees in around 40 lakes and parks last year as part of afforestation efforts. Additionally, BBMP is carrying out compensatory afforestation to offset tree loss due to development projects. The same is planned for the upcoming monsoon season.
- Blue-green networks SOP: SOP under the BGIN is being prepared for SWDs, lakes, and urban greening. This will define guidelines for buffer zones, tree species selection, pit dimensions, and planting strategies, ensuring a scientifically driven initiative.
- Green Bengaluru-Brand Bengaluru: We planted two lakh saplings under this initiative. Green Bengaluru has dedicated funding to develop tree parks, upgrade existing parks and lakes, increase green cover using local and native plants, and create more pedestrian-friendly roads, dedicated cycling lanes, green spaces, parks, playgrounds, and educational spaces.
While a question was raised about the delay in National Clean Air Program funds for Bengaluru, Preeti Gehlot said it is not applicable to Climate Action Cell. However, according to the BCAP report, NCAP funds are to be used for some of the climate action plans.