03 Jun Between Hope and Struggle: Migrants in Bengaluru
Written by Namita KN and Swati Surampally
Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan
Who is a Migrant?
This question might seem simple but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Defining a migrant can be tricky. Generally, it is someone who moves from one place to another. The International Organization for Migration defines a migrant as an individual who moves away from his or her usual residence, within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, and for various reasons. This definition gives us a basic understanding of migration but it does not capture the complex motives, experiences, and aspirations that drive people’s decisions to move or stay back. Stories of migration are complex, subjective, and evocative.
The Promise of Bengaluru
Over the years, Bengaluru has become a popular urban destination for migrants, offering economic, educational, and employment opportunities. A significant number of migrants living in Bengaluru’s informal settlements come from North Karnataka, their move increasingly driven by climate-related distress. When we visited them in their settlements across Bengaluru, we heard recurring tales of helplessness and a sense of powerlessness back home, which is a predominant influence behind their decision to migrate. Their stories are filled with the longing and desire for a better life for themselves and their children, dreams of better livelihood and income opportunities, and hopes for positive change.
One young mother of two, a recent migrant from Kuppam living in a small, rented pukka house in Ramamurthy Nagar, told us she is quite content with her new life. She said the hope for a better future for her family motivated the move. Her sentiment echoed the similar responses we received from many other migrants in these settlements.
“We are here to work hard, earn a living, and ensure that our children have a better life. We want to educate them and ensure that they are well settled”
– A migrant worker from Kuppam, currently residing in Ramamurthy Nagar
Despite their aspirations and hopes, many migrants in Bengaluru live at the peripheries of belonging, caught in a state of neither here nor there, constantly negotiating their agency.
Lives on the Edge
Bengaluru’s urbanisation has largely been exclusionary, marked by speculative urbanism that includes land speculation¹ and the eviction of people living on land marked for private development. This has pushed the city’s poor and marginalised residents to seek work in the informal sector and live in marginal areas. These areas are often low-lying near drains or water bodies, with substandard housing, devoid of basic services and green spaces.
In Guddadahalli settlement, the residents live in perpetual fear of eviction. If the landlord gets a good offer for the land or decides to build on the land, they will be asked to vacate. They have been forced to abandon their homes multiple times at the landowner’s command.
“We have moved five to six times over the past 15 years in Bengaluru”
– A migrant worker from Raichur, currently residing in Guddadahalli
Their precarious living conditions are further worsened by climate-related hazards such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts. Many prefer to accept and adjust to such climate risks and challenges.
For instance, in the Guddadahalli settlement, one of the one-room cement-sheet houses became unbearably hot during the summer. When the residents’ daughter came for childbirth, they built a shaded extension to help her and her newborn twins cope with the intense heat. But, this did not go down well with the landowner and other tenants, inviting unsavoury remarks for taking up additional space for the same rent. The settlement near Rachenahalli lake often floods during heavy rains. A pukka house with a raised plinth is able to withstand flooding, while water enters the blue-tent houses and other pukka houses without a raised plinth in the same settlement.
“Whenever it rains heavily, we stay up all night as the water enters our houses”
– A migrant from Raichur, currently residing in Dasarahalli
Such vulnerabilities among migrants vary significantly. This disparity arises from differences in their social and economic capital. During the water crisis in the summer of 2024 in Bengaluru, migrant residents in Ramamurthy Nagar, a settlement established over 30 years ago, managed the situation by creating water-sharing arrangements. A resident from the settlement claimed that in her neighbourhood, around 10 to 12 households contribute money to purchase water from tankers for Rs 1200-1500 every two to three days. The collected water is stored in common barrels and buckets. This demonstrates how their social capital, developed over the years, has helped them mitigate risks and improve well-being. This sense of community has also facilitated their integration into the city.
Life in cities, for migrants, is a constant struggle for steady income and the absence of the network of support back home, make them more vulnerable. Climatic risks and the lack of basic services further diminish their adaptive capacities. When they fail to achieve the life they aspired to even after years in the city, they fall into deep despair. Some, like the seasonal migrant family in Guddadahalli, were excluded from the list of beneficiaries for a housing scheme in their village. They were considered non-residents because they work in Bengaluru for eight months of the year and return to their village to work as agricultural labourers for three to four months. They are also denied access to any housing schemes in Bengaluru because they do not have valid documents.
“The ration shopkeeper prioritises locals when there is limited stock. We cannot depend on ration shop for our food supplies”
– A migrant worker from Raichur, currently residing in Guddadahalli”
Climate-resilient and Migrant-inclusive Bengaluru
The stories from the field highlight the pressing need for better support systems for migrants in Bengaluru. Despite all their challenges, we saw how social capital and community networks can help mitigate some risks and improve resilience.
This brings us to the broader question: how can Bengaluru become a city that supports its migration population better? During a practitioners’ workshop on climate change and internal migration in Bengaluru, we explored this very issue. The workshop underscored the critical role of social protection in enhancing the adaptive capacity of vulnerable populations and increasing resilience to climate change impacts. Our discussions revealed that state governments, particularly in destination sites, often hesitate to devise interventions for migrant communities, viewing migration as a ‘problem’ that must be ‘contained’. Awareness and accessibility of state-led interventions remain challenges. The lack of appropriate documentation, and discrimination, and the absence of a dedicated department for migrant affairs were identified as some of the barriers that impede access. It also became clear that interventions addressing issues of climate change were largely blind to migrants and vice-versa.
Migrant workers are a vital demographic in Bengaluru. Their marginalisation can have broader negative implications for the city. Given the discernible surge in urbanisation, internal migration trends, and climate change impacts, targeted interventions by the state and private sector can strengthen migrants’ adaptive capacities. Building a climate-resilient, migrant-inclusive Bengaluru will enhance the resilience and sustainability of the city.