City planners can learn some valuable lessons from ants

Ants prepare for the rainy season and so do bees and squirrels. But we human beings fall behind. 

Bangalore is an intellectual city but owing to imprudent planning, the infrastructure proves a slur on its reputation.  We still have infamous potholes, traffic jams and open drains running right through the heart of the city. Also there are uneasy slums, crammed localities and what not.

This is despite some of the best brains managing the city affairs both in bureaucracy and outside.

So where do we fail? Before bulldozing roadside homes, let us see if we are managing our affairs well. Management of roads is the first priority of any city. That includes mending potholes. This exercise has been successful on Domlur Road. It could have been replicated elsewhere.

Second, the unplanned digging of roads for laying pipes or cables need to be reviewed. Coordinated management of various civic departments involved in such works could reduce the problem such roads cause to commuters. It is ideal if the management is best left to apolitical local groups.

Third, the shrinking of existing roads is the worst but least noticed phenomenon. Shopkeepers and residents on busy roads exercise full control in front of their shops. However, the roads begin to shrink when vehicles are parked illegally on both sides. More than 10% of the city’s road space is occupied by such vehicles.

Hoardings not only occupy road space but also block drivers’ vision, often resulting in accidents. Many people who set up such hoardings neither require any permission to utilise the public space nor do they pay for it. It is an all-India phenomenon and Bangalore stands out in this regard.

Maintenance of storm water drains (SWD) is discussed when these are overflowing and forgotten as soon they dry. Vrishabhavati, Koramangala, Challaghatta and Hebbal are the major valets with SWD stretching to more than 110 km in the case of primary drains and about 150 km in the case of secondary drains.

Although the BBMP has earmarked Rs643 crore to remodel SWDs, nothing substantial has been done so far. The Koramangala valley was taken up but the work needs careful scrutiny.

To sum up, we fail in planning our city despite the best brains available. Ants may be slow workers as they move in a file carrying food. But they show us that a lot could be achieved through efficient management.
— The writer is director of the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore