Campaign mapping Bengaluru’s stormwater drains brings citizens, data and research together
The 'Building Resilient Bangalore' campaign has launched a report documenting a year of citizen-led efforts to map and audit the city's stormwater drain network. The initiative aims to create an open knowledge ecosystem to improve urban planning and mitigate issues like urban heat islands and flooding.
Why it matters
Citizen science projects are increasingly vital for urban management in rapidly growing cities facing climate and infrastructure challenges.
Did you know that Vrishabhavathi Valley has more unauthorised drain inlets than the other valley systems in Bengaluru?
In Shivajinagar, 88% of surface area near drains is impermeable, despite ₹15-20 crore a year being spent on drains.
While areas in the city with lakes, open drains and green cover functioned as heat sinks, dense built-up areas, closed drains and dry drain beds contributed to urban heat islands.
These were some of the findings of the ‘Stormwater Drain Data Jam’ held as part of the Building Resilient Bangalore campaign, an initiative by MOD Foundation in collaboration with Oorvani Foundation and OpenCity, to build public awareness, engagement and shared responsibility for stormwater drains in the city.
As the initiative, planned as a long-term and ongoing journey, completed a year, a report was launched to document the beginning of it.
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