FCC

PPP Planned To Rejuvenate Arkavathi River At Rs 25–30 Bn

2025-06-25

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has drawn up a public–private partnership scheme to revive the once-vital Arkavathi River, modelling the effort on Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati riverfront. A preliminary survey pegs the investment at Rs 25–30 billion and a detailed project report (DPR) is due by December 2025.

Covering 53.7 km from Nandi Hills to Tippagondanahalli, the blueprint spans 1 449 sq km across Bengaluru Urban, Mandya, Chikkaballapur and Ramanagara districts, touching 734 villages, 77 settlements, ten lakes and 13 industrial belts. Key works include flood control, new sewage-treatment plants, solid-waste systems, afforestation, parks and upgraded bridges and highways. Private investors will recoup costs through treated-water sales, tourism, recreation and riverfront commercial leases.

Arkavathi’s decline began with unchecked urban growth: heavy-metal pollution has rendered the river unusable, despite two historic reservoirs—Hesaraghatta (1994) and TG Halli (1933)—once meeting much of Bengaluru’s drinking-water demand. The revival plan aims to restore the river to the city’s long-term water grid.

Infrastructure Development Corporation–Karnataka (iDeCK) has been hired to prepare the DPR and provide transaction advice; an expert committee of officials, NGOs and private stakeholders will steer execution.