Roads turning into rivers.
Homes flooded.
People being rescued in boats, tractors, even earth movers.
We see these scenes from Bengaluru every year.
This time, the monsoon hasn’t even arrived and look at the condition of the city.
By the time we were recording this, four people had lost their lives in rain-related accidents across the city.
The situation for those living in slums of western Bengaluru has perhaps been the worst.
I’ve been reporting on this for a long time now, and the questions haven’t changed. Unfortunately, neither have the answers.
Crores have been pumped into flashy projects, flyovers, tunnels, “Brand Bengaluru.”
But the basics? Still broken.
The city is suffering because of lack of a cohesive vision
And Because of greed that allows more reckless construction
For the sake of clarity, let’s break this down into three parts
What has the administration done since the last floods?
What are the real reasons for Bengaluru flooding?
And what are the real solutions?
Let’s get right into it
I’ve reported on floods across India for over 16 years, and the story rarely changes. City after city, the same problems, the same unanswered questions, and the same political rhetoric.
At TNM, we don’t treat floods as one-off events and move on. We dig deeper, unpacking the chain of failures that lead to these disasters. And hold those in power accountable all year round.
If you believe our cities deserve better infrastructure and that the media must keep the pressure on those responsible, stand with us. Help us ask the tough questions that need answers. You need better roads and better journalism.
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It’s not just Bengaluru. Mumbai, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad. Flooding is a regular nightmare across Indian cities.
And among landlocked cities in India, Bengaluru does tend to get more rainfall than others. Both in terms of frequency and intensity.
The city’s uneven terrain also contributes to flooding. Bengaluru has low-lying areas like the Hebbal and Koramangala valley.
These naturally collect rainwater and if drainage fails, they flood fast.
Rain patterns have changed. Sudden, heavy downpours are now common. We see this every year. So why haven’t we changed how we deal with floods? Why is our strategy still the same?
Flood-Prone Areas Identified
The BBMP says it found 209 areas in the city that are likely to flood and completed works in 166.
Stormwater Drain Upgrades
Out of 860 km of stormwater drains - 173 km of the older, open drains are being replaced with stronger, concrete-lined drains.
Clearing Encroachments
BBMP claims that since 2016, about 4,300 encroachments have been found. Around 2,300 have been removed so far.
Permanent vs Temporary Fixes
BBMP has eight zones. Traffic police were asked to identify flood-prone areas and roads and come up with solutions in each of them.
The government claims it has spent Rs 2000 crore fixing issues in flood prone areas. If this money could have solved the problems, then why is Bengaluru still inundated?
Because these are often temporary fixes.
And temporary fixes mean nothing. This is no longer just a monsoon problem. There are unseasonal rains and flooding.
The core issue lies in one word: planning or rather, the lack of it.
Bengaluru has expanded rapidly and without a proper plan.
Massive apartment complexes and tech parks have come up in floodplains like near Bellandur and Varthur lakes with barely any drainage planning.
A crucial piece of the city's original water management system was its network of kaluves. That is the stormwater drains that connected lakes and helped direct excess rainwater.
Today, most of these kaluves are either concretised, built upon or completely blocked.
In areas like Koramangala, the older drainage systems cannot handle the volume of water discharged today.
Roads themselves are poorly designed and maintained. Many have slopes that direct water toward the centre.
Drains along the roadsides are either blocked by garbage or missing entirely.
And the city is perpetually under construction–metro lines, flyovers, roadwork.
These projects generate large amounts of debris, adding to the blockage of these drains.
Many flood-prone areas, such as Rainbow Drive and Shantiniketan Layout, have seen buildings come up directly on top of drains or within buffer zones meant to prevent flooding. Even when these constructions are officially marked as illegal, Enforcement is simply absent.
And when flood- control projects are announced, they often stall because agencies don’t coordinate or the funds don’t come through.
It’s not as if those in power don’t know what the actual problem is. It has been pointed out to them thousands of times by experts.
Take the CAG report from 2021 for instance
It said that we spent crores on fancy new roads, some costing up to ₹12 crore per kilometre.
But they still flood! Why? Primarily because the drainage and utility planning was terrible, so these expensive roads needed to be dug up almost immediately for repairs. It's crores of rupees, literally, down the drain.
Ever since the Congress came to power- what have their big announcements been?
More construction.
Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar launched ‘Brand Bengaluru’ initiative in 2023. He said he had received 70,000 suggestions from citizens on what the city needs.
But what did he announce? Tunnel roads, double-decker flyovers and elevated corridors. Basic civic issues are relegated to temporary fixes.
They plan to build a 190 km tunnel road across the city and just the first phase will cost more than Rs 20,000 crore.
Experts have been warning that the construction and debris will cause more flooding.
And can the government give an assurance that this tunnel, once built, won't be flooded?
Let’s look at some practical fixes. And the government can maybe start by not looking at flooding as a one-off thing.
Don’t just build roads–audit them.
Roads aren’t just for cars, they're your city’s stormwater highways too. Do a full audit: do our roads have proper drains on both sides? Are those drains actually connected and leading water to lakes?
Right now every road needs checking. Every. Single. One.
Map how water really flows, acquire land like we do for metros and highways. Then build a drainage system that actually works for today and the future.
Stop being obsessed with white topping of roads. Think of permeable pavements.
Make desilting of smaller drains a regular routine, at least twice yearly- and have third-party audits to keep it in check.
Have real-time water level tracking, weather prediction, and automated flood response.
Sewage mixing with rainwater is one major cause of urban flooding. Floodwaters should never carry sewage. The fix?
Saturate the city with sewage lines that connect to treatment plants.
And stop reckless development in vulnerable areas.
That means wide buffer zones, clear easements for major drains, and tight rules on construction.
But the main problem is more construction means more money- for everyone in the system. From contractors to politicians. So corruption needs to be seriously addressed.
To fix flooding in Bengaluru, the civic agencies need to talk to each other. Can the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) break the silos of BBMP, BDA, BWSSB and Bescom?
Can it get everyone on the same page, making sure drains, sewage, and roads work together.
It is not enough to call our cities smart cities if we don’t have smart solutions. Ones that can be seen as working on the ground and making lives better for our people. So it's about time our governments stop looking at floods as photo-ops and implement solutions that last.
For suggestions and feedbacks write to pooja@thenewsminute.com
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar, research by Nandini Chandrashekhar and Shivani Kava, Graphics by Vignesh Manickam