Adaptation and Risk Analysis

Competing priorities of multiple stakeholders concerning water need to be managed while working towards a common vision of a water-secure future. Integrating the IWRM approach to the new state water policy will help achieve this objective and ensure that water management is efficient and sustainable.

Non-Revenue Water (NRW) or unaccounted-for water is high in Indian cities because of outdated water systems, illegal connections, leakages, poor maintenance and lack of proper mapping of the distribution system. The average NRW in India is between 30 to 50%. Clearly, there is a gap in our management of water and the solution may lie in reconsidering how we look at water flow.

Can the application of data science and technology make the urban planning process more responsive to the changing patterns of spatial activity? Largely, yes. What the process needs is the continuous collection and analysis of appropriate urban data that can be envisaged spatially and analysed to obtain various possible types of correlation.

The Proof of Concept (PoC) Urban Observatory for Bengaluru and Karnataka developed under this study provides the basic architecture for an Urban Observatory. It further demonstrates how a complete data story can be presented by collecting, integrating, analysing and visualising data from multiple sources around a specific theme. This PoC can be expanded to explore other urban themes and can be replicated to create similar observatories for other cities in Karnataka.

Recognising the need for implementing more forward-looking approaches in Bengaluru’s key urban sectors, the Government of Karnataka has introduced a number of new policy guidelines relating to water, sanitation and transport sectors. However, addressing urban sustainability challenges require the consideration of varying geographic contexts as well as the difference in the pattern of urbanisation experienced by cities.

Sand is an essential element in concrete and hence plays an important role in the construction and infrastructure industry in a modern economy. It is typically sourced from riverbeds which are located in ecologically sensitive areas. Hence, excessive mining leads to the degradation of riverbeds, which affects the local groundwater system, potential biodiversity and the recreational potential of these regions. A large quantity of the official sand production per year in Karnataka is currently sourced from riverbed mining, some of which is also imported from neighbouring states.