Bengaluru | September 11, 2026
Bengaluru has set December 2029 as the deadline to treat every drop of sewage generated in the city, after official reviews found that only about half of its daily wastewater is currently being treated.
The city generates around 2,580 million litres of sewage a day, according to the latest compliance review submitted by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The board has prepared a phased plan to build new sewage treatment plants (STPs) and upgrade existing facilities over the next three years.
The roadmap was discussed at a meeting of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), where forest, environment and ecology minister Ramalinga Reddy said all planned treatment plants would be built and commissioned by December 2029. Bengaluru had previously missed sewage-treatment targets set for 2020, 2023 and 2025.
The latest deadline comes amid concerns about polluted water entering the Cauvery river. Reddy directed the KSPCB to inspect private STPs operated by technology parks, hotels, educational institutions, commercial establishments and residential complexes. The inspections will assess whether the plants comply with prescribed national standards.
The minister also ordered the creation of a centralised dashboard to monitor the functioning of STPs and publish real-time information on the quality of water being treated. “I’ve directed KSPCB to launch a centralised dashboard on the functioning of STPs and reveal, in real time, the quality of water they treat, rather than visiting every STP personally and checking samples manually,” Reddy said.
The state government has also asked the BWSSB to identify households and properties that divert sewage into stormwater drains despite having access to sewerage infrastructure. Officials said some property owners may be avoiding BWSSB connections because of pro-rata charges and deposits.
The review identified compliance problems at several BWSSB-operated STPs. Some facilities were found to be failing standards prescribed by the National Green Tribunal and the KSPCB, including requirements covering key wastewater-quality parameters. The state government has given the plants 30 days to meet the prescribed norms.
The BWSSB’s plan will therefore involve both capacity expansion and corrective action at existing facilities. The immediate compliance deadline applies to plants that have failed to meet standards, while the broader target requires Bengaluru to double the share of daily sewage receiving treatment and reach full treatment capacity by December 2029.
