Pollution in Bangalore, India

Why is owning/driving a vehicle considered as high social status in India? This is among the highest levels of hypocrisy observed throughout India. People whine about insane traffic, but no one is bothered about the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness. Throughout India there are insane levels of air pollution along with awful honking. India has the worst drivers and bikers in the entire world. I have been ridiculed and called inferior, immature, coward, miser by plenty of people in India for never owning a vehicle. I traveled anywhere inside the city in cycle/bus/auto/taxis. I have been mocked and insulted by almost all the people I have met.
It is no surprise that all Indian cities and towns are hellholes with horrible traffic and pollution.
Shame on Indians.

I am staying at HSR Layout in Bengaluru. Many people are burning trash and the noxious smoke is harming me and my family. The drainage water is overflowing daily onto the roads. Me and my family are suffering from Asthma and breathing problems. The dust is unbearable near our area. My eyes can't bear the noxious smoke of mass garbage burning and the dust floating around all over our locality. This is happening frequently every day.

After reading all the below comments, two things are for sure, most people in Bangalore people have zero civic sense, zero discipline. Having stayed here, I say that pollution is extremely severe in Bangalore.

Bangalore is horribly filled with pollution in all points - Air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, dust pollution. Air is completely filled with dust. Dust gets accumulated everywhere. The water quality in Bangalore is dangerous and miserable. The few remaining lakes have absolutely no aquatic life. They are used for dumping human waste.
Bangalore right now has the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in India, next only to Pune. Bangalore is more worst affected than the worst 3rd world countries.
All Bangalore software companies have cheating managers and entrepreneurs. The managers in all the Bangalore software companies openly discuss politics and instigate the employees. Religious discrimination, racism, bigotry, backstabbing, deceit, bullying, betrayal are extremely high in all the software companies of Bangalore.
Murder, Gangrape and Extortion happen very frequently at night in the streets of Bangalore. Vast majority of the crime in Bangalore not reported.
My sister was raped multiple times at night in the streets of Bangalore by drunk men. She was walking alone.
The people are scared of the police, law and order. Bangalore is filled with injustice in all aspects.
As plenty of people have correctly mentioned, I also fully agree that Bangalore is definitely the Suicide Capital of India.

I am from Singapore of Indian origin. Bangalore should follow Singapore as an example of reducing pollution, maintaining cleanliness of high standards. Singapore is also densely populated with millions of people. But Singapore is among the cleanest, developed and safest megacities in the world. Singapore's infrastructure is far more advanced than Bangalore.
I hope Bangalore also learns from Singapore soon.

India is indeed a peaceful and tolerant country. This is rightly mentioned by @Rajesh in the Quality of Life page. Same applies to Bangalore too. But plenty of writers affiliated to political groups are spreading nonsense in social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Quora and Facebook. Contrary to their writings, India tolerates all religions equally. People of all religions in India enjoy full rights, liberties and freedom.

One more thing is Indian Media over-sensationalizes news stories. Silly stories are pointless broadcast for several weeks and months. Factual news reporting is very rare in India.

And regarding the high pollution levels in Bangalore, yes, necessary steps need to be taken now to curb the pollution. People should take the initiative in reducing pollution in Bangalore.

The water in Bangalore is not safe for consumption. Bangalore has very high pollution levels concerning air, water, dust and noise. The traffic is also incredibly high and insane in most places within the city. The roads have a sea of vehicles, and you will be stuck for hours in this very slow moving, stagnant traffic.
Karnataka government wants to build more and more flyover, underpasses, metro rails, suburban rails in Bangalore. But the people or the government are not bothered about reducing the use of motor vehicles.
The analogy here is to increase the waist size of trousers to curb obesity, instead of stopping belly growth!
Startups are a fashion word in this city. No startup looks into innovative solutions to tackle the problems faced by this city. Bangalore startups simply copy the ideas of Western countries. Innovation never happens in Bangalore.

I am from Kochi (Kerala). I would like the people to read my comments only they are not offended.

First of all, most Malayalees/Keralites have hallucinated opinions about Bangalore. Malayalees consider Bangalore a paradise. But in reality, Bangalore has extremely high crime, horrible pollution levels, worst traffic, highly expensive and most people in Bangalore are very rude, bigoted, cruel and very selfish.
Kerala movies and social media sites are glorifying Bangalore and flattering this town by sugarcoating information.
I have met many Malayalees saying that if they die in Kerala or abroad, they prefer to be cremated or buried only in Bangalore.
Sorry to be blunt, but most Malayalees/Keralites are lunatics. I have stayed in many places of Kerala and these are real facts.
The truth is that Bangalore has extremely high levels of dust circulating everywhere and the air is not at all suitable for breathing. Bangalore is correctly named as the 'Asthma Capital of India'.
Thanks for reading my comments!

Karnataka government is not at all concerned about the growing Covid-19 cases in the state. They are not willing to spend funds and give free treatment for the infected patients. Instead, the government is constructing a 108 feet tall statue of Kempegowda in the Bangalore Airport. They only waste their money for foolish reasons.

Sorry to be blunt, but successive Karnataka governments have and had mental illness of developing only Bangalore and ignoring all other parts of the state.
As @Naresh said, all infrastructure and multinational corporations are intentionally placed only in Bangalore and not in any other place in Karnataka, by the government.
And now the government further wants to develop only Bangalore and for namesake some village in North Karnataka.
Inspire of all these, Bangalore has become the biggest hub for getting infected by asthma, mental depression, water-borne diseases and obesity. Inspite of all the support of the Karnataka government, Bangalore still has become a hellhole, dystopia and India's Garbage City.
To quote that popular phrase "What goes around comes around".

Thousands of Kannadigas are leaving Bengaluru. We Kannadigas are making the right decision by leaving Bengaluru permanently.

https://m.timesofindia.com/india/thousands-leave-bengaluru-fearing-fresh-lockdown/amp_articleshow/76792335.cms

Most Kannadigas form the poorer section of Bengaluru society. But we Kannadigas are glad that we don't have to stay in Bengaluru anymore. Our own Karnataka capital city is well and truly an unlivable hell. We Kannadigas want peace of mind, serenity, tranquility and good quality of life. We are not money-minded people, in general.
Bengaluru is full of pollution, crime, chaos, traffic mess, Covid-19 cases and a total concrete jungle. Education and Healthcare in Bengaluru are ridiculously expensive. Only the super-rich can afford these facilities.
We Kannadigas don't want to stay in a place like Bengaluru. And we don't care even if it's our state capital. I have permanently moved back to my native place Alur in Hassan district.

But all successive Karnataka governments and politicians have been foolish to the core. They have only developed Bengaluru and ignored every other place in the state. Now they want to construct a 108 feet tall statue of Kempegowda at the Bengaluru Airport! And I also don't understand the purpose of constructing an Expressway from Bengaluru to Chennai. All the Karnataka politicians are foolish and waste all their money/funds for nonsensical causes in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru has done the lowest Coronavirus testing among Indian metro cities.
As of 18th June 2020, the Covid-19 positive cases in Indian metro cities are as follows:
Mumbai - 60,228
Delhi - 44,688
Chennai - 34,245
Bengaluru - 827

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/why-bengaluru-covid-count-is-least-among-big-cities-6464136/

Bengaluru's numbers above, are statistically an outlier and a FRAUD. It's ridiculous. It is impossible for an Indian city with greater than 10 million population to attain such low numbers. Compare this to cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi! This is purely due to Bengaluru's very low testing and ignorance of its people.

As far as I know, Coronavirus is found in every nook-and-corner of Bengaluru now. But people are very lazy to get tested. This is rightly and excellently mentioned by '#R Chopra' last week.

Having stayed for sometime in Bengaluru, I can clearly and honestly tell you that Bengaluru is a hellhole. And I found nothing special about the overhyped climate of Bengaluru. You must visit places such as Hassan that have excellent climate, but don't boast and brag like Bengaluru.

News sources and movies must stop sugarcoating and stop spreading misinformation about Bengaluru. They should instead show the real facts about this hellhole. I also thank each and every person for posting their honest comments about Bengaluru over here.

Disclaimer: Some of my comments are sarcastic. Read through only if you are not offended.

Why does Bangalore have much less Covid cases than Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi?
The answer is simple. The Bangalore climate is awesome. People will live for 500 years due to Bangalore climate. You don't have to travel outside the boundaries of Bangalore. Bangalore climate will protect you from Covid-19.

Here is my honest answer to this question: People in Bangalore don't care to come out of their homes and get tested for Covid-19. Bangaloreans are by-far the laziest people in India. Now they will Work From Home. Even during voting, the turnout in Bangalore is the lowest. Order everything online. Drive alone in cars and honk recklessly.
Don't test for Covid, be ignorant and start boasting to sky-high levels.
"Bangalore has by far the lowest Coronavirus cases among all Indian metro cities".
"Bangalore has much low Coronavirus cases than Karnataka districts- Belgaum, Bidar, Gulbarga, etc.".
"Bangaloreans are the most civilized people in India. People in other Indian places are uncivilized".
Bangaloreans should be proud of their achievements.
Soon entire Indian population will migrate to this tiny "heaven on earth"- Bangalore.

Mr. Hansen, there are many hospitals in Bangalore for skin treatment. I'm not endorsing anything, but there are hospitals such as Apollo, Radiance, etc. that have dermatologists. I wish you good health and a speedy recovery.
Best Regards.

Now shifting my discussion topic to Bangalore pollution.
I am surprised that even after lockdown and restricted movement of vehicles, the Bangalore Air Quality is in the "Poor" category since many days. I frequently check the Accuweather site and it's very reliable for Live Air Quality information in cities. Also note that it's summer season and not the foggy/smog season right now.
This clearly indicates why Bangalore is called the Asthma capital of India. There is severe amount of dust and pollen existing in Bangalore's air, and this is very risky and life-threatening to all its people. To make things worse, Bangalore is a completely landlocked city. The pollutants cannot be dispersed outside; they keep circulating in the same place forever.
While the online marketing teams have been successful in painting a rosy picture about Bangalore, the truth has to be spoken out. Unfortunately, truth is bitter to hear. Our friend @Suraj Chaudhary had commented in September last year, about the dangers of Asthma and pollution in Bangalore.
Sorry to be blunt, but Bangalore is already an unlivable city. This was correctly predicted by IISc.

Bangalore is a polluted and contaminated place. It is among the filthiest places in South India, but slightly better than Chennai and Hyderabad. Bangalore's air quality is miserable.
If you don't have Asthma, come to Bangalore to get infected by Asthma. Bangalore's dry climate and nasty air quality will make sure that Asthma will be your companion throughout your short-span life.
Enjoy the sweet sound of traffic-jammed horns, bathe yourself in the wonderful dust and watch your step for uncovered manholes covered by flood waters. Drink the contaminated Bangalore water to get tapeworms, round worms and diarrhea.
Sing your praises to the awesome Bangalore climate.
This is the Garbage city - Bangalore.

Bangalore has the worst traffic in the world. The India Union budget of 2020 is a big joke.
1. What is the use of having sub-urban trains in Bangalore? Is it to connect the villages around 50 km radius outside Bangalore?
2. What is the use of the Bangalore-Chennai expressway corridor? Why can't Bangalore have an expressway corridor with some other Karnataka cites itself?
3. Why increase the construction work in Bangalore itself? The entire town is already loaded all over with dust. Plenty of dust gets deposited on any stationary object in Bangalore.

Does the average life span even exceed 40 years in Bangalore? Or do Bangaloreans depend on other so called "villages" to extend their average life span beyond 40 years?

Delhi 2.0 will soon be a reality in Bangalore. Bangalore will be the Delhi of South India.

The water in Bangalore is deadly for drinking. It may lead to life threatening diseases. Here is the news link, published yesterday

https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/bengalurus-water-a-deadly-drink-781027.html

I think that Bangalore does not have a future. It's growth is fully saturated.

Bangalore is a hell-hole and this website is very accurate and unbiased. In spite of being a hell-hole, Bangalore is more livable than Delhi.
The air pollution levels at Bangalore localities like BTM, Silk Board, Whitefield, Yeshwanthpur and Hebbal are totally insane. During peak traffic hours, the air quality index touches 999 at these places on certain days. It is the maximum, a meter can display !!
The noise pollution is extremely high throughout Bangalore. Only a few lakes are left, without any aquatic life. Majority of the Bangalore lakes are encroached by the Real Estate mafia, while the remaining ones are used as sinks and dumps for human excreta and garbage.
The drainage system in Bangalore is a failure and in places with many apartments, the sewage overflows onto the roads. Dust is a major component of Bangalore's air along with Nitrogen, Oxygen and CO2. Everyone is crazy about cars in Bangalore. Many people love to ride even an SUV alone. Carpooling is only on Social Media sites and never in action.
There is absolutely no population control in this hell-hole. People breed like rats and keep pouring in, for reasons mentioned by others.
It is an absolute tragedy for any place to become a State Capital or National Capital in India.

There used to be a saying,"Bangalore is the GARDEN CITY". Now its worth changing to"GARBAGE CITY"

I am a Bengali, and I have settled in Melbourne, Australia. I'm an Australian citizen.

The present planning of Indian cities are dismal. The pollution and the rate of increase, will make all the cities including Bangalore an unlivable mess. Have a look at the most prosperous and sustainable countries in the World.
THEY ALL HAVE COASTAL CITIES.
1. Australia - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart
2. New Zealand - Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
3. United Kingdom - London, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast
4. United States of America - Plenty of coastal cities. List is too long to mention here !
5. Canada - Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax
6. Nordic countries - Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Bergen
7. Ireland - Dublin, Cork, Galway
8. Persian Gulf countries - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Manama
9. Singapore
10. Japan - Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Kobe
11. Hong Kong and Macau

A huge majority of these cities don't face scarcity of water, they do excellently well in mitigating air pollution and water pollution, always have a steady economy and have prospered in trade. The access to beaches also keep people happy and the moderate climate (but also very humid) is indeed a blessing to the place. All these coastal cities are front-runners in Cruise tourism and are frequently visited by plenty of overseas tourists.

But, India has its own version of planning, which is absolutely ridiculous in the global context. Ironically, it was the British who created Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. During the British colonial rule, the infrastructure of Bombay was at par with London and New York. Without the British, the cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata would have never existed today. But Indians have done their very best in ruining these cities also, which had excellent infrastructure during the British rule.

It is disheartening and very sad to comprehend that post Independence in 1947, not even a single coastal city has developed in India. The hypocrisy of Indians in general is that, and I quote - "coastal cities are very hot and humid", "I cannot stand the fish smell in these places", "It always gets flooded". Well, let me tell you that the above mentioned countries and territories also have problems, but they have truly set the benchmark.

Post-independence, India has only given importance to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, etc. But not even a single coastal city has grown into a sustainable Metropolis. Bangalore itself, is a testimony to the extreme centralization and urban disaster caused by India's haphazard planning. Very soon, Pune, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Mysore, Jaipur, Indore, Chandigarh and Nagpur will certainly join this detrimental list along with Bangalore. The world will definitely laugh at the preposterous planning of India.

According to the Global benchmark of sustainable planning, India should predominantly develop its coastal cities such as Kochi, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, Surat, Navi Mumbai and Panaji. If India doesn't develop its coastal cities very soon, then mark my words, India does not have a bright future. It will forever be a 3rd world country.

The report is 100% accurate. I have been living in this city for my entire life. No, this report does not make Bangalore 'LOOK' like hell hole, it has 'Become' one of late. Severe pollution levels, frustrated people all across the city, mindless honking on the road, loads and loads of dust.
The people to be blamed you ask? Not a single citizen, may it be localite, expat, temporary resident, foreigner, etc.
But, it's corrupt bureaucrats and politicians. Idiots (Read bureaucrats) did not have minimal sense of expansion while planning the city, never considered having the right person to so. year on year, the corruption has increased so much that its now affecting people's health and life directly (Both mental and physical). Idiots planned express corridor road 15 years back but did not give it a moment of thought for metro, entire world has a well build, underground metro which was constructed at least 30 years back and now Bangalore is coming up with metro in 2019 and its over the road.. inefficient city.. literally a Hell Hole to live in.

Hope no one else goes through this Pain of contemplating to leave the place where you are born and brought up. It kills a part of a person.

People who purchased apartments in congested places and with no open spaces are more responsible for this disaster i believe, as you are indirectly encouraging builders who cares only about money.

I recently moved from Hyderabad, and I feel like chocking as soon as i step out of my house...

Dust Level in Air,in and around Gedallahalli & Kothanur becomes very very high just after evening. Feels like suffocating.

Please don't spoil environment.and pollution. Once Bangalore is green city now it becomes pollution city.. Please stop spoiling the environment.... More is air pollution....

Bangalore once had its own River. Its name was Vrishabhavathi. This river's water was used for drinking.
Today, River Vrishabhavathi is an open garbage canal.

In the 1970s, Bangalore had around 300 lakes. Today, there are only 18 lakes left in Bangalore. Nearly 10 out of those 18 lakes are highly polluted. These remaining 10 highly polluted lakes include Bellandur lake, Varthur lake, Ulsoor lake, Subramanyapura lake, Challaghatta lake etc.

People in the comments section have added many other valuable points.

Even today, Bangalore called India's 'Garden City' and 'Silicon Valley'.

Bangalore has toxic lakes with foam and poisonous froth spewing out of it.
The people in Bangalore have no brains. The local Kannadigas criticize and discriminate outsiders for all the bad things happening over there. But in reality, they are also at fault for ruining their Proud city.
The entire city is congested with vehicles emitting harmful smoke. No one even cares to reduce the usage of motor vehicles in the city.
The level of honking and noise pollution is also unbearable due to the brainless IT crowd over there.
Garbage is burnt at night in Bangalore because Waste management is a failure in this city.
Uncovered manholes spew out all the drainage water in some places.
Bangalore is a Nightmare to live in.

Now that Bangalore is very polluted, the only people to blame are the PEOPLE living over there.
The traffic is insane and arguably the WORST in the world, not just in India.

There is dust and smoke all over Bangalore. Waste management is a failure, with some of the BBMP Garbage collectors throwing the collecting Garbage in vacant compounds. Then there is burning of garbage in open places at night. Lakes are filled with TOXIC foam and are used as construction sites.

Asthma and lung related diseases are prevalent in this city. 1 out of every 4 Bangaloreans suffer from Asthma.

Visit this city or any Q&A, blogs website related to Bangalore. You'll find 1 thing in common: BOASTING.

That's right. There is a lot of bragging and boasting regarding Bangalore. People are happy to stay in this awful city. You'll hear a lot of bragging such as
1. Garden city
2. Pensioner's Paradise
3. Green City
4. Bangalore is awesome city, but outsider's are spoiling it.

So with this mentality and ZERO PLANNING, you can come to your conclusion as to where Bangalore is headed for.