The Commons Cell and the Centre for Environmental Law Education, Research and Advocacy (CEERA) are jointly organising a panel discussion titled ‘Reading the City through Water – Stormwater, Systems, and the Ground Truthing at NLSIU on Monday, May 11, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. 

Venue: Allen and Overy Hall, Training Centre, First floor

About the discussion:

This discussion on stormwater systems in Bangalore will unpack how design, data, governance, and planning inform everyday urban life by examining how infrastructure is experienced, used, and often contested on the ground. The first half of the discussion will be focussed on MOD Foundation’s work on the K100 stormwater drain in Bangalore. The focus will be to enhance citizen engagement with public infrastructure by showcasing how to read stormwater networks on a map as well as lived systems shaped by design gaps, ecological pressures, and governance overlaps. The second half of the discussion will focus on stormwater systems as commons and how current water regulations address these systems. As urban water infrastructure, these systems shape everyday life, and collective knowledge can significantly contribute to better urban futures.

Our Panellists

• Amrita Ganapathy, Senior Urban Designer and Researcher at Mod Foundation
• Nikhila Gudipati is an Urban Research Associate at Mod Foundation working at the intersection of Strategy, Data Visualisation and Analysis.
• Dr. Sneha Thapliyal, Associate Professor (Economics), National Law School of India University
• Dr. Gayathri Naik, Assistant Professor (Law), National Law School of India University