Bengaluru floods: Karnataka may ban basement parking in flood-prone areas; Experts flag higher costs, design challenges

Karnataka is contemplating a prohibition on basement parking in flood-prone areas of Bengaluru as a measure to enhance the city’s resilience to urban flooding. Experts in the real estate sector acknowledge that such a move could reduce the risk of waterlogging but also warn that it might increase construction expenses and pose design challenges for developers.

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Experts Warn of Cost, Feasibility Challenges in Basement Parking Ban

“While the idea of banning basements is sound from a flood-resilience standpoint, it’s unclear whether it will be viable in the long run,” said an urban expert. Basements typically cost twice as much to construct as ground floors. However, replacing basement parking with additional floors above ground may drive up costs even further, due to the need for extended plumbing, elevator systems, and electrical infrastructure. Additionally, such changes could reduce the efficient use of Floor Space Index (FSI), affecting project feasibility, they say.

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Karnataka Mulls Ban on Basement Parking After Fatal Bengaluru Flooding

After the recent flooding in Bengaluru, which claimed the lives of two men while they were pumping water out of a basement in BTM Layout, Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar announced that the state government is considering a ban on basement parking in low-lying and flood-prone areas. “I am taking a policy decision that wherever there is a low-lying area, we will not allow underground parking facilities in future. We will allow them to build parking spaces at a higher level,” he told reporters while on his visit to assess the flood situation across the city.

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Ground-Level Parking Mulled Amid Bengaluru Flood Woes

“There is an idea to plan a way to park vehicles on the ground floor, instead of underground. Let people build houses on top of that,” he said. This comes amid relentless rainfall that has crippled Bengaluru in recent days, with heavy downpours triggering widespread waterlogging and flooding across the city. From upscale residential areas to major tech corridors, the rains have laid bare the city’s fragile infrastructure and poor drainage systems, sparking serious concerns over urban planning and real estate development in flood-prone zones.