From Gridlock to Greenlungs

In the heart of India’s tech capital, where concrete towers compete with canopy gaps and traffic buzzes louder than birdsong, a quieter, more resolute movement has taken root.

Bengaluru is standing at a crossroads. More than just indicators of urban growth, its crowded roadways, overflowing landfills, and booming construction industry are reflecting symptoms of a deeper crisis. Rising urban temperatures, choking air from traffic, and methane leaks from garbage are not concerns for the future—they are being experienced in real time.

In response, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) introduced the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP), a comprehensive yet realistic blueprint with 266 ongoing recommendations spanning 7 sectors:

● Energy & buildings

● Transport

● Water, wastewater & stormwater

● Urban planning, greening & biodiversity

● Solid waste management

● Air quality

● Disaster management

To operationalise BCAP, the Climate Action Cell (CAC) was established in February 2024 under the guidance of Special Commissioner Preeti Gehlot. What makes her approach different? A belief that climate action must grow not from mandates, but from classrooms, citizens, and community-driven change. Her vision: to make climate governance less about top-down directives and more about civic imagination. From day one, she insisted on cross-sectoral collaboration and citizen involvement—an ethos that now defines every CAC initiative.

A City-Wide Movement

The turning point came with the launch of Friends of CAC, a unique community partnership initiative designed not just to inform citizens, but to involve them. In less than a year, over 650 individuals and institutions have signed up, ranging from RWAs to research labs, school teachers to start-up founders. Monthly sessions are becoming think tanks. WhatsApp groups are turning into idea incubators. Citizens are beginning to see climate action not as the government’s responsibility, but as shared stewardship.

The result? Over 60 collaboration requests poured in. From retired scientists to student artists, everyone wants in. These are not passive listeners, they are active contributors conducting carbon footprint audits, mapping trees, forging data partnerships, and launching school initiatives. CAC has facilitated six meetings with them. What began as a government-led initiative soon became a city-wide movement: organic, urgent, and unapologetically hopeful.

The Cell is also creating structured platforms for dialogue that go beyond information sharing; they are spaces of co-creation. The quarterly “Friends of CAC” gatherings, held in July and December 2024, have evolved into civic forums where over 200 participants from NGOs, start-ups, research organisations, colleges, and local communities come together not just to listen, but to shape ideas.

Recognizing Champions: The BluGreen Awards

To recognise and elevate such contributions in climate and sustainability, the Cell launched the BluGreen Awards. The awards ceremony, held on June 6, 2025 as part of World Environment Day celebrations, marked the first time a city publicly celebrated climate action. More than 150 nominations poured in for its inaugural edition—from frontline sanitation teams and data-savvy start-ups to low-waste housing societies and plastic-free school campuses.

Participatory Actions: Mapathon

An initiative launched with WRI India, the Mapathon held in Bommanahalli Zone invited citizens to mark potential tree-planting spots across the city. These sites have since seen community-led greening drives. BBMP’s Forest Department, overseen by the Special Commissioner, has planted over 8,000 saplings in Bommanahalli as a result.

Youth as Climate Catalysts

Nowhere was this energy more palpable than amongst the younger generations. To ensure continuity and build internal muscle, the Cell also launched a structured CAC Fellowship Program. Six fellows were onboarded, embedded into city-level and ward-level actions, and tasked with everything from ward planning to documentation. Interns have also joined the team, supporting monitoring, evaluation, and outreach—making the Cell a learning hub for young professionals.

Urban Greening: Building a Cooler, Kinder City

Greening in Bengaluru has evolved from beautification to a core climate strategy. BBMP is now reimagining trees, parks, and green corridors as critical urban infrastructure assets that cool the city, retain water, and build resilience.

At the centre of this transformation is a citywide Tree Census, which has already mapped over 3 lakh trees. It provides insights into canopy cover, species mix, and urban heat hotspots guiding targeted greening efforts. Alongside, a Tree Manual has been drafted to help select suitable species based on soil and microclimate, while also promoting nature-based solutions like rain gardens and bioswales that link greenery with water resilience.

On the ground, over 20,000 saplings have been planted in and around 40 lakes and parks to revive catchments and boost biodiversity. Compensatory afforestation continues to offset tree losses due to development.

Floating Solar Infrastructure

In parallel, the Cell is piloting innovative site-level interventions. Floating solar power installations are being scoped for select lakes bringing together clean energy production with the ecological revival of water bodies. These panels not only generate electricity but also shade parts of the lake, slowing down evaporation and supporting aquatic life. The rooftops of BBMP buildings too are being revisited, not as wasted surfaces, but as solar assets.

From Runoff to Recharge

Water resilience, in particular, has taken centre stage. Treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs), both public and private, is being redirected to irrigate parks, green medians, and traffic islands. Tankers deliver this nutrient-rich water daily, reducing the need for borewells and conserving potable water. In parks, more than 700 recharge wells have been constructed in the last year alone with CSR funding. Urban greening complements this effort. BBMP has planted over 2 lakh saplings in the past two years. Trees not only cool the city and support rainfall, but their roots help reduce runoff and enhance percolation—making them essential for water security.

Lake rejuvenation is another pillar. Of the city’s 183 live lakes, 136 have already been restored, boosting biodiversity, groundwater recharge, and flood resilience with an allocated budget of INR 11 crores. Meanwhile, the BBMP Road Manual (2025) now mandates permeable footpaths, turning urban design into a tool for water absorption and urban cooling.

Corporate Commitment

Seeing the momentum, Bengaluru’s corporate sector too stepped forward. Bengaluru’s first climate-CSR roundtable has attempted to bridge the gap between corporate goodwill and civic needs. This initiative is now leading to a dedicated CSR unit within the cell, a systems approach to public-private collaboration. Conversations are already underway with several companies keen to invest in climate-aligned community projects, green skills training, and data support systems. This will mobilise private finance for climate action.

Institutionalising the Vision

To ensure long-term sustainability and accountability, a Steering Committee has been constituted to guide and strengthen the Climate Action Cell. This step is more than administrative.

What is being attempted in Bengaluru under the inspired leadership of a young IAS officer, Preeti Gehlot, is truly remarkable and is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. The approach can be replicated in all metropolitan cities through public-private partnership.

The writer is an author and a former civil servant. Views expressed are personal