Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Alahalli Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Kothanur ward, Bengaluru South

See it on the map
Size
14.7 acresAbout 8.3 football pitches
Rank by size
583rd largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Suvarnamukhi
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Not tested for water quality yet
Built over
0.1% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 0.0% encroached.
Campaign
Residents are organising here

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1946 to 1954, 1958 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1945 to 2026.

  1. 1945

    On the survey map

    See source

  2. 1955

    Not on the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  3. 1957

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  4. 1980

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water most years

    Water in 21% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    5% of its water area has since gone dry; 25% is new water

    4 years not counted: the satellite saw under half the lake

    See sourceSee source

  6. 2017-2018

    In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached

    This census's status marks are often wrong

    See source

  7. 2017-2025

    Mostly water in most years

    About three in four of these readings are right, so trust what holds for several years

    See source

  8. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    0.0% encroached, polluted, 21.6 acres surveyed

    See source

  9. 2025-2026

    Mostly open water after the monsoon and in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 77% open water
    • 19% floating weed
    • 5% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 79% open water
    • 16% floating weed
    • 6% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

The records disagree on its size, so each measure is shown.

Drawn outline
14.7 acres

About 8.3 football pitches

See source
Land records
21.6 acres

About 12 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
21.6 acres

About 12 football pitches

See source
End to end
450 m

The longest straight line across the outline

See source
Deepest point, 2018
4 m
See source
Kind of lake
Kere, a large tank
See source

How clean the water is

State pollution board
Not tested by the state board
How it looked in 2018
Polluted
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Domestic sewage

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the north-east

See source
Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18
2 readings
See source
Every reading
Show every reading

Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18 lake survey

DateWhereWater temperature°CLight transparencycmpHConductivityµS/cmDissolved solidsmg/LSuspended solidsmg/LTurbidityNTUDissolved oxygenmg/LCODmg/LBODmg/LTotal phosphateKjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as NTotal coliformMPN/100mL
2018-02-05Inlet2678.11,0266361091266.5317626.072.730.8500
2018-02-05Outlet26.3108.41,00864010815011.214421.89222.4500
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.1%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
0.42 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

The public

See source
Taken for

House

See source
Where it is encroached

On the south-east side

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage waste

See source
Land record maps
See sourceSee source
Land within 500 m

63% built, 22% trees, 7% shrubs, 6% crops, 2% grass, 0.6% bare ground

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source

Who looks after it

Looked after by
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

BBMP

See source
City work on the lake
Work in progress
See source
City zone
Bommanahalli
See source
City lake page

Open its page on the city’s lake monitoring site

See source
Campaign pages
See source

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Suvarnamukhi

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

O.B.Chudanahalli Lake

See source
Catchment
2.7 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

1 inlet drain, no overflow weirs, 1 sluice gate, 1 culvert, no check dams and no islands

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
112 species

Most seen: Western Swamphen, Black Kite, Indian Pond-Heron, White-browed Wagtail and Eurasian Coot.

2,327 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
120 species

2,335 records, 2015 to 2025

See source
Threatened species seen here
2
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
103 times

52 species, 70 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Grey Heron, Great Cormorant, Plain Tiger Butterfly, Pied Bushchat and Red-wattled Lapwing.

Last seen Mar 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Submerged, free floating and rooted floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Settlement, park, vacant land, factory & apartment

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 41
Kothanur

ಕೊತ್ತನೂರು

Bengaluru South corporation, Bangalore South assembly seat

See source
Village
Alahalli

Uttarahalli hobli, Bengaluru South taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

30 (Alahalli), 3 (Gollahalli)

See source
Height above sea level
925 m
See source
Coordinates

12.8652° N, 77.5668° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
11
2018 lake survey
BUBSUHalh_kr1-1313
Lake Development Authority
LDA008
KGIS tank map
1053
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302868/001
City lake monitoring site
175