Water Supply

Urban flooding is no longer a seasonal surprise but a predictable outcome of poor stormwater drainage planning, construction, and maintenance. While crores are spent on building and upgrading stormwater drain networks, there is often little transparency or citizen oversight in how these assets are managed. This masterclass sits at the intersection of these two trajectories: a legacy of infrastructural stress and neglect, and a growing urgency to rethink how urban water systems function and are governed. Drawing from Bengaluru’s context and global examples, the session introduces how cities around the world are rethinking the fundamentals of stormwater management to adapt…

For over two decades, residents along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have been fed a steady diet of promises about piped water supply. From desalination plants to reservoirs, successive governments have announced grand projects that would finally quench the IT corridor's thirst. Yet, as of January 2026, OMR residents are still struggling with inadequate piped water and are forced to rely on expensive private tankers or depleted groundwater that grows more brackish each year. The original promise It began with hope. In July 2004, the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, announced central government support for a desalination plant near Chennai.…

Across urban India, environmental awareness is increasing, and one of the ways people practise their commitment to minimise their environmental footprint is by reducing their plastic waste. In restaurants, where the sale of plastic bottles and free “filtered water” are both ubiquitous, the decision regarding which water to consume contributes to the growing plastic waste among citizens. Opting for filtered water instead of bottled water, which is served free of cost, seems like a win-win choice that is environmentally conscious and safe. However, the actual safety of this free filtered water remains a question. To answer this, Ashoka Trust for…

Namrata (name changed to protect identity) migrated from West Bengal to Bengaluru 15 years ago in search of a better livelihood. She is a domestic worker, and her husband is a waste picker. Though their livelihood has improved, the quality of life is still poor. The informal settlement in Belagere, where Namrata has been living for the past nine years, floods after each rainfall. “Water rises to our hip level, and we cannot sleep most nights if it rains,” she said. Also, stormwater drains run on two sides of the settlement. Wastewater from the drains mixes with floodwater, causing children…

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…

Amid the countless wheels lining its roads, the premises of the Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) in Bengaluru's Yelahanka is surprisingly verdant for a government foundry. A spider web-like system of interconnected stormwater drains and water points efficiently directs all water to the pump house or ponds, preventing any runoff. Their rooftop harvesting system allows immediate use of rainwater for production, ensuring zero wastage. Even during the peak of summer 2025, the two main wells, named Damodar and Kandaswamy—essential for production and fire emergencies—remain more than half-full, highlighting RWF’s water efficiency. Rail Wheel Factory uses power-saving ways in which it can…

When the residents of TZED Homes, a community in Whitefield, faced water shortages, they did not immediately resort to using tanker water. Instead, they opted for an unconventional solution — treating and reusing wastewater for potable purposes. It was a difficult decision, and even more challenging to convince all community members to accept. "Until four to five years ago, we could access water at a depth of just 80 feet. However, tankers extracting water from commercial borewells have significantly affected our aquifer," says Babu, a resident closely involved in water management in the community. But, their efforts have paid off…

Nearly 72% of Bengaluru gets contaminated water. Depending on whether residents get their water from borewells, tankers or from the Cauvery River, the quality varies from one area to another. According to a 2018 survey, 24% of Bengaluru households receive water from both borewells and Cauvery, with a hardness level above the prescribed limit of 200 milligrams per litre (mg/l).  Another study found Total Dissolvable Solids (TDS) range crossing 1,000 parts per million (PPM) per litre in Bengaluru, when the acceptable range is a maximum of 300 PPM. TDS refers to the amount of organic and inorganic material dissolved in…

This April 10th, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) announced a water tariff hike after a gap of 11 years. The Board also decided to increase the tariff by 3% on April 1st every year. For most households, the tariff hike would mean paying ₹20 to ₹30 more on their monthly water bills this year. While the middle class sees a slight increase, slum dwellers face exorbitant costs, highlighting a stark inequality in access to clean, affordable water across the city. Here is how the tariff hike will reflect in your water bill this May. For domestic users…

“I’ve seen tiny black worms in this water whenever we store it. But since we don’t have any other source, I strain and boil the water before use,” said Tulasi, mother of two, tediously filling her buckets with Cauvery water from the common tap in Vinayakanagara slum, TC Palya. She stores a drum of water for a week despite her doctor warning her not to store water for more than four days. “What option do I have? We get Cauvery water only once a week for three hours. We get muddy borewell water twice weekly, which we use for non-drinking…