Bangaloreans – Listen up! It’s negatively surprising to know that 87.6% of Bangalore is now concrete. Thus, it has led to a rise in temperature within the Garden City of India and it is a strongly alarming concern for the environment.
You know Bangalore as the tropical destination capital in India but now Bengaluru is heating up and it’s not just the weather. According to the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), it reveals a very disturbing truth: the Garden City is losing its iconic green parks and shimmering blue lakes at an alarming rate. Over 87.6% of Bengaluru is now covered in concrete, replacing natural ecosystems with roads, high-rises, and urban sprawl.
Summary of the Content
Bengaluru is running out of breath; only 12% of the city is now covered with greenery and lakes. The rest is concrete jungle.
The ‘Garden City’ tag is no longer true. That charm is fading fast — and being replaced by heat, dust, and silence.
Rising heat is no coincidence — the study directly blames the loss of green and blue spaces for Bengaluru’s increasing temperatures.
Unseasonal rains are now the new normal. No one knows when the next downpour or dry spell will strike — climate rhythm is broken.
Greenhouse gas levels have shot up, turning local areas into invisible chambers. Bengaluru’s air is getting thicker by the day.
The city’s health is failing — just like ours. From heart issues to breathing problems, the heat is hitting human bodies hard.
Lung spaces = our lifelines. Professor T.V. Ramachandra calls it out: fewer open spaces mean sicker people, period.
Buildings need breathing room too. Cramped concrete blocks without open buffers are only turning up the heat.
Now not just the weather — it’s more about survival.
This isn’t a distant future—it’s already here.
Why should Bangaloreans care for it?
To more surprise, researchers have to say that urbanization has led to the rising local temperatures within the city. This creates suffocation in the town. Once Bengaluru was touted as the salubrious climatic destination in south india now facing the consequences of unchecked development.
We have to take the warning of the study very seriously otherwise, the city could become inhospitable. Wondering why? Well, it is because of the vulnerable populations. Water bodies have shrunk. You have to understand that tree cover is thinning. And nature—once the city’s cooling mechanism—is fading into memory. The question now isn’t just about sustainability—it’s about survival. Will Bengaluru wake up before it burns out?
From Garden City to Concrete Jungle – Bangalore is at RISK in 2025 and Beyond
Ask any Bangaloreans aka local person, he/she will let you know that once upon a time in the house, Bangalore people didn’t even need fans. We locals remember that once mornings felt like hill stations, and evenings carried the scent of fresh rain and trees.
In comparison to today, even ceiling fans can’t keep up and the ac has become the need of the hour. That’s how you can understand that the city once called India’s Garden City is now buried under concrete.
Another study by IISc’s Centre for Ecological Sciences tells it clearly — 87.6% of Bengaluru is now concrete. The alarming concern is that only 12% of green and blue spaces remain. That’s not a city anymore. That’s a slow oven.
We’re building up, but we’re burning out.
And honestly, as someone who was born and raised in this city, it hurts.
This isn’t just some study for me. I’ve felt the difference — in my skin, my lungs, and my memories. I remember walking under shady trees near Jayanagar, playing by lakes that don’t even exist now. Today, I avoid stepping out in the afternoons. The heat is sharp, the roads are bare, and the silence of vanishing nature is louder than ever.
We used to call this home. Now, it feels like something we’re slowly losing every day.
If we don’t pause, protect, and plant — we won’t just lose trees. We’ll lose Bengaluru. And I’m not ready to watch that happen.
What should we do now – Bangaloreans?
This is a message to every developer, planner, resident, and tourist: Bengaluru is crying for help. The heat you feel isn’t just a climate event — it’s the result of years of ignoring nature. It’s not just hotter today — it’s sicker, dustier, and more restless.
Bengaluru is overheating — and not by chance. What was once a calm, cool, and green paradise is now turning into a furnace. Roads are packed, buildings are popping up overnight, and the city’s green lungs are disappearing with every passing year.
We aren’t just feeling the heat. We’ve created it.
Unplanned expansion is choking Bengaluru. The city has crossed its carrying capacity, yet the construction continues. Lakes have dried up. Trees have fallen. Once upon a time, this city had over 68% green cover in the 1970s. Today, it’s down to just 12% of green and blue spaces. That’s a terrifying drop — and we’re living in its aftermath.
Surface temperatures are now regularly crossing 44°C in many zones. And no, this isn’t peak May weather. It’s becoming the new normal. And guess what? It’ll only get worse if we don’t hit the brakes now.
We need to stop pretending it’s someone else’s problem. This study by IISc isn’t just research — it’s a mirror. If we truly love this city, we need to start treating it like home. Plant trees, protect lakes, question blind development, and demand accountability.
Because if we don’t protect what’s left, we’ll only have memories of Bengaluru that once felt like heaven.
