Abstract:
Bengaluru resembles an inverted saucer in topography where all the drains are in an
outward direction from the city. Increasing urbanization has led to an increase in
impervious surfaces creating disruptions in the urban water cycle by preventing
infiltration of storm water into the ground. The city’s storm water management takes a
centralized conveyance-based approach where the water is removed as quickly as
possible from the source. The recent advancement is to facilitate distributed infiltration
and thereby reconnect the hydrological cycle. This dissertation searches for the problems
and prospects of storm water management in Bengaluru by analysing the existing laws, plans and regulations concerning storm water which includes the Master Plan, Structure
Plan and other policy documents. It argues that the present plan-policy interventions arise
out of the belief systems built up on a knowledge base of grey infrastructure and
recommends policy interventions to bring in a nature-based approach to storm water
management.
