Bengaluru’s ₹5,000 crore Water Resilience Project aims to end flooding, ease water stress: Report

The World Bank has approved a $426 million loan for strengthening Bengaluru's storm-water drains and sewage treatment plants.

Bengaluru’s newly formed civic body, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), is set to take on its first independent project, the Bengaluru Water Resilience Project, aimed at bolstering the city’s infrastructure against flooding and water stress.

The GBA, which came into force this week, replaces the BBMP as Bengaluru’s central planning authority. (X/@KiranKS)

This marks a major milestone for the authority, which until now has primarily overseen the works of B-SMILE, a special purpose vehicle handling mega projects.

M. Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of GBA, confirmed to The Hindu that the project would now be under the civic body’s purview, as funds are routed through the government.

Under the Programme-for-Results financing model, the World Bank has approved a loan of $426 million (around ₹3,500 crore) to support the initiative, The Hindu report added.

The loan, which will be disbursed between 2026 and 2031, will go toward strengthening storm-water drains (SWDs) and building sewage treatment plants (STPs). The overall project cost is pegged at ₹5,000 crore, with the State government expected to contribute the remaining share.

Initially, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was entrusted with implementing the project. The civic body had floated tenders and even issued work orders. However, following the BBMP’s dissolution, the GBA has now taken over responsibility for SWD-related works, while the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will handle STPs.

According to the publication, World Bank was initially informed that BBMP would implement the project, handing over responsibility to new bodies risked confusion and affecting loan disbursals, which are closely tied to performance outcomes. To avoid complications, the GBA stepped in to lead the project directly.

Although B-SMILE could have been an alternative, the authority decided against it, citing the SPV’s existing workload of four large projects. Instead, GBA plans to deploy more engineers and place the project under the supervision of one of its Special Commissioners.

Importantly, climate resilience is at the core of the project. The World Bank has emphasised climate financing, and in response, the Karnataka government pointed to its Climate Action Plan (CAP).

The Climate Action Cell (CAC), which was earlier part of BBMP, has now been strengthened with new deputations and fellows to implement flood mitigation and other climate-related initiatives.