Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Begur Lake

ಬೇಗೂರು ಕೆರೆ

Also called Begur Lake1

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

See it on the map
Size
113 acresAbout 64 football pitches
Rank by size
62nd largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Koramangala-Challaghatta
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Fit only for wildlife and fishTested Jul 2026
Built over
0.1% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 1% encroached.
Campaign
Residents are organising here

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1946 to 1954, 1956 to 1965, 1967 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

    On the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  3. 1966

    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 35% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    3% of its water area has since gone dry; 36% is new water

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

    Floating weed looks like dry land to this record, so a weed-covered year can read as dry

    See sourceSee source

  6. 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

  7. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    1% encroached, clean, 138 acres surveyed

    See source

  8. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 36 months, most often fit only for wildlife and fish

    Jul 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  9. 2025-2026

    Mostly open water after the monsoon and in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 54% open water
    • 43% floating weed
    • 4% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 57% open water
    • 35% floating weed
    • 9% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
113 acres

About 64 football pitches

See source
Land records
138 acres

About 78 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
138 acres

About 78 football pitches

See source
End to end
1.1 km

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

Latest test
Fit only for wildlife and fish

Fit only for wildlife and fisheries. Class D on the state board’s scale from A, the cleanest, to E.

Tested Jul 2026

See source
Class each month, tested 36 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 29 months. Fit only for irrigation: 7 months. Every month is listed in the readings below.
Drinkable after disinfection
Fit for bathing
Drinkable after treatment
Fit only for wildlife and fish
Fit only for irrigation
See source
How it looked in 2018
Clean
See source
Older tests
2 readings

From 2021

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

Latest test, Jul 2026. Too low to measure: boron, carbonate, nitrite, phenolphthalein alkalinity, phosphate, kjeldahl nitrogen

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C26
Dissolved oxygenmg/L5.2
pH7.4
ConductivityµS/cm1,378
BODmg/L5
Nitratemg/L as N5.3
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL840
Total coliformMPN/100mL2,800
Bicarbonatemg/L324
TurbidityNTU16
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3324
Chloridemg/L324
CODmg/L60
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N0.4
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3216
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3112
Calciummg/L44.8
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3104
Magnesiummg/L25.3
Sulphatemg/L44
Sodiummg/L210
Dissolved solidsmg/L948
Suspended solidsmg/L24
Potassiummg/L37
Fluoridemg/L0.58
Sodium share%63
Sodium adsorption ratio6.5
Orthophosphatemg/L0.29

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026D5.258402,800See source
Jun 2026D5.466302,200See source
May 2026E1.9264609,200See source
Apr 2026D5.552102,400See source
Mar 2026D5.7523,00063,000See source
Feb 2026D5.274302,200See source
Jan 2026D5.872402,200See source
Dec 2025D6.343301,700See source
Nov 2025D5.763203,500See source
Oct 2025D5.752703,500See source
Sep 2025D5.363102,100See source
Aug 2025D5.461702,400See source
Jul 2025D652101,700See source
Jun 2025E2.1302101,700See source
May 2025D5.193402,400See source
Apr 2025D6.153403,500See source
Mar 2025D5.31293700See source
Feb 2025D744602,800See source
Jan 2025D5.9102605,400See source
Dec 2024D6.44331,600See source
Nov 2024D4.981402,400See source
Oct 2024E3.2917,00070,000See source
Sep 2024D642103,500See source
Aug 2024D6.141702,400See source
Jul 2024D4.2820,00094,000See source
Jun 2024E2.6392,60017,000See source
May 2024E1.6172,10011,000See source
Apr 2024D5.479304,900See source
Mar 2024E3.5111,7007,900See source
Feb 2024D576305,400See source
Jan 2024D6643,0005,40,000See source
Dec 2023E2.5357909,200See source
Oct 2023D4.199,40092,000See source
Sep 2023D4.21247016,000See source
Aug 2023D5.464,30092,000See source
Jul 2023D4.394,90092,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Begur Tank, TankLowest254.16.442630.72,70024,000See source
2021Begur Tank, TankHighest256.57.51,4441081,10,0009,20,000See source

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
2018-02-0521.8257.675460011665440162171,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.1%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
10.4 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

Farmers, government agencies and the public

See source
Taken for

Agriculture & Nice road, road & houses & graveyard

See source
Where it is encroached

On the south, north-west and east side

See source
Dumped in it

Construction debris

See source
Land record maps
See source
Land within 500 m

54% built, 20% crops, 11% trees, 10% grass, 4% shrubs, 2% 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
Koramangala-Challaghatta

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Agara Lake

See source
Catchment
12.5 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

2 inlet drains, 1 overflow weir, no sluice gates, no culverts, no check dams and no islands

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Fishing, cattle feeding, washing and religious activity

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Chikkabeguru Sewage Treatment Plant

1.4 km away

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
188 species

Most seen: Indian Pond-Heron, Western Swamphen, Black Kite, Purple Heron and Gray Heron.

37,099 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
229 species

37,163 records, 2012 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
8
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Black-tailed Godwit near threatened
  • Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
  • Tawny Eagle vulnerable
  • Rufous-tailed Lark near threatened
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
638 times

165 species, 528 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Gray-headed Swamphen, Western Reef Heron, Grey Heron, Asian Openbill and Black-winged Stilt.

Last seen Sep 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds, butterflies and dragonflies

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Settlement, agriculture & vacant land

See source

Photos

Begur Lake, photographed in 2018
Rajeshodayanchal / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2018

Where it is

Ward 36
Beguru

ಬೇಗೂರು

Bengaluru South corporation, Bangalore South assembly seat

See source
Village
Begur

Begur hobli, Bengaluru South taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

94

See source
Height above sea level
902 m
See source
Coordinates

12.8735° N, 77.6310° E

See source

Read more

Wikipedia

Lakes and tanks in the metropolitan area of Greater Bangalore and the district of Bangalore Urban are reservoirs of varying sizes constructed over a number of centuries by various empires and dynasties for rainwater harvesting. Historically, these reservoirs were primarily either irrigation tanks or for the water supply, with secondary uses such as bathing and washing. The need for creating and sustaining these man-made dammed freshwater reservoirs was created by the absence of a major river nearby coupled with a growing settlement. As Bangalore grew from a small settlement into a city, both of the primary historical uses of the tanks changed. Agricultural land witnessed urbanization and alternate sources of water were provisioned, such as through borewells, piped reservoir water and later river water from further away.

Read Begur Lake on Wikipedia

See source
OpenStreetMap
See source
Wikidata

Q106416239

See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
102
2018 lake survey
BUBSBGbgu_kr3-1406
Lake Development Authority
LDA038
KGIS tank map
982
City lake monitoring site
134