Bengaluru's urban sprawl the worst: study

Bengaluru: A team of researchers from the Indian Institutes of Science (IISc) has found that Bengaluru has the worst urban sprawl. The team conducted this research using remote-sensing satellite data since 1990. "We chose the year 1990 because Indian markets opened up during that period. Since then, there has been rapid urbanization in most Indian cities. Of the 10 Indian cities we looked at, Bengaluru's urban sprawl is the worst. Hyderabad, Kolkata and Delhi too are in bad shape," said TV Ramachandra and Bharath H Aithal from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, who conducted the study.

In Bengaluru, the study found a whopping growth of 632% in urban areas, especially greater Bengaluru, in the last few decades. In comparison, Chennai's urban sprawl has increased from 1.46 to 18.55% in the same period.

The study titled, 'Ecological insights to mitigate urban flood risks' says the impact of such a scenario will be felt in the form of climate change, enhanced emissions of green-house gases, lack of appropriate infrastructure, traffic congestion and lack of basic amenities (electricity, water, and sanitation).

VANISHING SHEEN

* The city's built-up has gone up by 632% since 1973

* The study predicts about 70% of Bengaluru will be a concrete jungle by 2020