Bengaluru’s Water Journey

Why this Map?

Bengaluru’s water moves in very different ways. Water is brought into the city through engineered systems from rivers increasingly farther away. Groundwater is drawn from increasingly deeper below the ground. At the same time, wastewater flows out through the city’s natural drainage and river corridors.

This map brings these different water journeys together so we can see the larger picture of where Bengaluru’s water comes from and where it goes.

Why this map matters?

As Bengaluru has grown, we have looked farther away and deeper underground for water. Bringing water over greater distances and lifting it to the city also means more infrastructure and more energy.

At the same time, the Vrishabhavathi, Arkavathi, Dakshina Pinakini, Chinnar and Suvarnamukhi have been deeply altered. The Cauvery, now a critical lifeline for Bengaluru, is part of this larger story too.

Bengaluru’s water future cannot be separated from the health of these rivers or from the upper Cauvery landscapes that capture, store and release the water we eventually depend on. Nor can it be separated from the rivers and landscapes that receive the city’s wastewater.

Bengaluru’s water security is therefore shaped by choices made both within and beyond the city. Restoring rivers, protecting groundwater, conserving the Western Ghats and the landscapes that sustain the Cauvery, and using Cauvery water wisely are all part of the same solution.

As Zen Rainman Viswanath says – Bengaluru’s water future is not only about finding more water. It is about managing the water we already have, across all its sources, much better.