Water Supply

Bengaluru boasts one of the world's largest networks of decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs). Yet, certificates of compliance are routinely issued without continuous monitoring, and much of the water treated on-site is never reused. In Part 1 of this series, we explored case studies of how three different apartment complexes navigate these issues. Missing pipelines, no buyers, and low trust in recycled water: the reasons why treated water has nowhere to go are numerous. In this second part, we examine these hurdles and what it will take to convert wastewater into a vital resource. Apartment residents often blame builder or…

In a 400-unit apartment complex in Jakkur, about one-third of treated water is being dumped into a nearby stormwater drain. While National Building Code (NBC) guidelines mandate that a building must have a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with a capacity of 210 to 290 Kilolitres per day (KLD), this apartment actually has an STP with around 300 KLD capacity. A resident of the complex, who requested anonymity, said that despite conducting audits, regularly monitoring water quality, and installing aerators, the apartment still struggles to reuse 100 per cent of its treated water. This is not an isolated case. In a…

Maya Pawar was only 14 when she got married and moved to Pardhi Wada, an informal settlement located at Raey Road in Mumbai. Surprisingly, it was just a month ago that Maya, now a 62-year-old woman, received a legal water connection in her home.  For nearly fifty years, she was deprived of access to water. Her daily routine of fetching water was filled with challenges. Along with a group of other women, she walked 1.5 kilometres four to five times a day to collect water from a  Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) toilet. At one point, their desperation led them to…

Recent media reports have highlighted the presence of bacterial contamination in drinking water samples collected from several locations in the Bhagirathpura area, Indore. The reports point to a few possible reasons: leakages from nearby septic tanks, soak pits, sewage pipes or drains, and poor septic tank design. Other possible causes could be ageing and corroded water pipes, and cracks or leakages in the distribution network.  However, intermittent water supply is also one of the most critical factors behind such incidents. In these systems, pipelines are often empty or partially filled, and may operate under negative pressure at certain times. These…

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…