Urban Water

Water problems in cities and towns are complex and interconnected. The impacts of flooding and urban drought are expected to worsen as more and more land is built up, more people live in cities and extreme climate events grow more intense and frequent.

We have identified gaps in integrated urban water management (IUWM) in cities like Bengaluru and smaller towns in Karnataka such as Chintamani and ways to address them. IUWM involves a set of participatory planning and management approaches, going beyond traditional infrastructure-based water planning by taking into account institutional, social and governance aspects.

Fragmented data and efforts

One of the most challenging aspects of creating a viable long-term water strategy is getting accurate information. Data on water flows and stores is fragmented and not available in ways that are usable for civil society organisations, researchers and policymakers. Moreover, in cities like Bengaluru, there is no dearth of initiatives by different actors to revive water bodies, curb pollution and reuse wastewater. But many of these efforts remain local and there is little cross-learning and consolidation of efforts.

The map below shows different water management projects in Bengaluru, such as open wells, lake rejuvenation and stormwater drain restoration. It keeps evolving as we uncover new research and initiatives. This map also depicts how such work happens in isolation, each being carried out by a different set of people.

Aggregating data and building an ecosystem

We are compiling data from various sources to paint a detailed picture of Bengaluru’s water system. When there is a comprehensive overview of the various processes occurring within an urban water system, it becomes easier to analyse how strategies can address multiple dimensions of water security planning.

Read | Why We Need Urban Water Balances

WELL Labs is an ecosystem builder—we foster collaboration and alignment between different cultures of work. We work with actors across the board, from government officials and market players to civil society groups, in an effort to build a strong coalition of partners geared towards building more equitable and safe cities.

Co-designing evidence-based and user-centric solutions

We work closely with research organisations to understand the efficacy of different solutions. In terms of wastewater, these range from scientific fixes to improve the standard of treated wastewater to exploring ways to promote behavioural change and address the ‘yuck factor’ barrier that prevents more widespread reuse. By vetting these solutions and taking successful pilots to other places in collaboration with our partners, we contribute to more widespread impact.

Designing market instruments and policies

Water recharge at the city scale through flood water capture and water reuse through wastewater treatment are capital-intensive procedures involving high set-up and operational costs. We are studying the potential of water credits to plug the gap in financing.