Bengaluru alert: A gaping deficit amid tech and biz surplus

Time of India

20-05-2025

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How to fix Bengaluru's flood problem
Civic deficit can drive businesses away
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Bengaluru is a bipolar metropolis. While it is India's poster town for its IT services industry and modern business hub with its startups, GCCs and financial services, the new India, it is also a textbook case of failed civic governance that weighs down most of India's urban centres, a legacy problem that persists despite the country's forward push.A Bengaluru resident's legal action has thrown the city's gaping civic governance deficit in a stark relief. Dhivya Kiran, 43, from Richmond Town, served a legal notice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ( BBMP ) demanding Rs 50 lakh as compensation for the 'physical agony and emotional trauma' he claims to have endured while commuting through the city's poor roads. 'Bengaluru roads are a mess. Even the smallest pothole can cause so much distress,' he told NDTV. According to him, the roads have left him not only in physical pain but also emotionally drained.It's only a matter of time before someone sues the BBMP for bad flood management too. A nearly two-day spell of heavy rain has disrupted life in the city, turning streets into canals. In a dramatic move, a local BJP MLA visited Sai Layout, one of the worst-hit areas, riding an earthmoving JCB machine. A prolonged power outage on Sunday caused by thundershowers left several parts without electricity, overwhelming Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) with over 33,000 distress calls from residents.Flooding has become a permanent feature for the city every year. Rapid growth has strained its infrastructure, leading to frequent flooding. Unplanned development has put pressure on civic infrastructure. Studies from the Indian Institute of Science reveal that the city has lost 88% of its green cover over the past four decades, while concrete areas have increased elevenfold. This change has reduced the city's capacity to absorb rainwater, making over 85% of Bengaluru susceptible to flooding. Experts point out that construction on former lake sites has worsened the situation. Additionally, clogged drains have hindered the flow of rainwater, contributing to the flooding.Long celebrated as India's Silicon Valley and home to many MNCs, Bengaluru is under pressure to address infrastructure shortcomings. The situation has sparked widespread concerns, with many pointing out that frequent flooding and poor road conditions directly impact business operations, especially along critical routes like the Outer Ring Road (ORR), which houses numerous IT parks.Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development minister D K Shivakumar has announced today that Rs 2,000 crore will be spent on fixing storm water drains in the city. "Ever since I took over as the Bengaluru Development Minister, we have fixed flooding issues in 166 (70 per cent) of those localities. Flood prevention work is currently going on in 24 areas while work would soon be taken up in the remaining 20 areas. We have built 197 km of storm water drains," he said.Bengaluru's flood problem is also structural. Lakes interconnected with canals and drains constitute basic stormwater collection systems for any city. However, rapid urbanization and increasing land demand have led to uncontrolled developmental activities in lakes' neighborhoods, further resulting in encroachment of lakes and storm water drains. As per a CAG audit in 2021, which examined storm-water drain management, from 1,452 water bodies with a storage capacity of 35tmcft of water during the early 1800s, water bodies in Bengaluru dipped to 194 with storage capacity of 5tmcft by 2016.As per an IISc study, the built-up area (concretisation) in Bengaluru is estimated to have increased by more than 1,000% since the 1970s. From about 8% in 1973, it was at 93. 3% at the end of 2022. Increase in concretisation and impervious layer result in an increase of stormwater runoff. Higher the runoff, more the flooding.Successive governments and citizens must share the blame for Bengaluru's water woes. Poor planning, lack of vision (government itself has allowed conversion of many lakes for residential purposes, approved plans for construction on lake beds, storm water drains, not maintained waterbodies and so on) and enforcement point fingers at the government. However, citizens, too, are guilty of encroachments, pollution of water bodies and storm water drains, illegal constructions and more.A TOI report a few years ago had spelled out the code that can fix Bengaluru's flood problem. The government should formulate a comprehensive policy which clearly recognizes urban runoff as a potential source of water, requiring a clear plan of action for conservation. BBMP must prevent further reduction in water bodies and length of the natural drains and ensure inter-connectivity of waterbodies for proper conservation of the ecosystem as well as groundwater. BBMP and BWSSB should jointly prepare a plan of action to prevent sewage flow into storm water drains; their implementation should be monitored by the Karnataka government. State government and Bangalore Development Authority should take immediate action to finalise and notify revised 'masterplan' to prevent encroachments of waterbodies and rectify the omissions with regard to SWDs. BBMP must prepare a comprehensive database of SWDs in coordination with other agencies to serve as a single source for effective planning and management of stormwater drains.Too much water to handle is not the only problem of Bengaluru -- it also often suffers from too little water. Almost every summer, Bengaluru gets parched, sometimes leading to rationing of water use by residents. Add traffic congestion and bad roads to these problems, and Bengaluru begins to look like a dystopian metropolis in the making. Bengaluru's infrastructure challenges are prompting companies to seek more conducive environments for their operations. To retain its status as India's premier tech hub, the city must address these issues promptly, ensuring sustainable growth and continued investment from both domestic and international businesses.As the list of civic problems faced by the tech capital becomes longer, companies are opening up to the idea of expanding their operations beyond Bengaluru as quality talent is now available at emerging hubs and that too at 25–30 percent lower cost than in the major centres, as per a report by Nasscom-Deloitte released last year.The landscape of India's IT industry has started to shift away from primary technology hubs. After Bengaluru, the first tech hub of India, there are six others: Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. But recently, the growth of these matured hubs has started tapering due to multiple factors. With remote work, the opportunity for tech sector employees to work outside these locations became a reality. At the same time, the pressure on the infrastructure of these locations continues to be a challenge. The costs of talent and operations are also increasing. Consequently, companies must explore alternative locations for setting up or expanding their operations in India, said the report.Based on observation of trends and discussions with industry leaders, the report said 26 Tier 2 cities have emerged to represent the 'next wave of technology hubs', providing an opportunity for sustainable and scalable growth for the tech industry. Several technology enterprises have strategically established their operational centres in emerging locations to fully capitalise on the diverse opportunities available to them.Bengaluru's population is expected to touch nearly 20 million by 2031 from the current nearly 14 million. This would mean heavier pressure on resources and infrastructure. The city must develop to cater to this large population increase or it could lose its iconic status as India's Silicon Valley as better tech hubs emerge across the country. To restore its iconic status, experts say, it must boost investments in sustainable water management, infrastructure upgrades, and public transportation initiatives.(With inputs from TOI)