`India’s Silicon Valley’ is feeling the climate costs

By Anders Lorenzen

Bengaluru (In English known as Bangalore) lies in the Indian state of Karnataka. It has earned the nickname of ‘India’s Silicon Valley’ due to its rapid economic and population growth. It is now the third largest city in India in terms of population, housing 15 million people.

But like so many other areas in India, Karnataka is at the forefront of severe climate impacts, especially this year. The population is facing an acute water shortage, with residents having to ration and pay nearly double for their water usage.

The water shortage is the result of weak southwest monsoon rains, affecting groundwater levels as well as reducing water levels in the Cauvery River basin. These reservoirs are crucially important to the rapidly growing Indian city.

The residents of Bengaluru are having to pay ever-increasing prices for water tankers, even though peak summer temperatures have not yet arrived. Exploiting this, water tanker dealers have started charging residents in some parts of Bengaluru as much as 2,000 rupees ($24.11) for a 12,000-litre tanker which, according to a dozen customers, cost 1,200 rupees ($14.47) a month earlier

The situation might worsen before it gets better, as the heat and water scarcity could intensify in the coming months. There is an increasing worry amongst residents, that water tankers might not show up at all due to the water scarcity problems.

While the city relies on groundwater and supply via tankers to supplement the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) supplies during the peak summer months, unusually early reports of water shortages have come from building complexes in many parts of the city this year.

Large residential complexes are asking residents to cut down their water usage, and some building managers have hiked water prices to pass on higher costs.

From garden city to urban sprawl

Ironically, Bengaluru was during the last century known as Garden City, due to its huge areas of greenery. As recently as 1950, the city had fewer than 800,000 inhabitants But it has since then grown rapidly, largely due to the world’s biggest technology and IT companies opening offices in the city. And many computer companies have outsourced to Bengaluru, hence earning the nickname ‘India’s Silicon Valley’.

The huge expansion of the city has undoubtedly put pressure on critical resources. And it has come with a huge cost to the environment, which will only be exacerbated by climate impacts.

Over the last four decades according to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the city has lost 79% of water sources and 88% of green cover, while areas covered by concrete have increased 11-fold. The increased areas of concrete cover and the reduction of green areas such as forests were preventing groundwater recharge, according to T.V. Ramachandra, who heads IISc’s Energy and Wetlands Research Group.

As one of the fastest-growing Indian cities, Bengaluru has attracted negative scrutiny for poor infrastructure and overcrowding. There is no functioning public transport network so the roads are always congested and gridlocked almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week, causing serious air pollution. This means that bicycling, exercising or even walking near busy roads could have adverse health impacts.