Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Chikkagubbi Kere

ಚಿಕ್ಕಗುಬ್ಬಿ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Tintin Lake

Kere, a large tank, in Chikkagubbi village, Bengaluru East taluk

See it on the map
Size
9.23 acresAbout 5.2 football pitches
Rank by size
788th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Hebbal
Who looks after it
ZPZilla Panchayat
Water quality
Fit only for irrigationTested Jul 2026
Built over
0.4% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 15% encroached.

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1928 to 1955, 1957 to 1977 and 1979 to 1987.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1927 to 2026.

  1. 1927

    Not on the survey map

    See source

  2. 1956

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  3. 1978

    On the survey map

    See source

  4. 1988-2021

    Held water most years

    Water in 28% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    45% of its water area has since gone dry; 6% is new water

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

    See sourceSee source

  5. 2017-2025

    No one cover holds over half of it in most years

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

    See source

  6. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    15% encroached, muddy, 21.3 acres surveyed

    See source

  7. 2025-2026

    Tested by the state board in 16 months, most often fit only for irrigation

    Apr 2025 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  8. 2025-2026

    Mostly floating weed after the monsoon; part dry or built, part open water in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 0% open water
    • 85% floating weed
    • 16% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 46% open water
    • 6% floating weed
    • 47% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
9.23 acres

About 5.2 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
21.3 acres

About 12 football pitches

See source
End to end
331 m

The longest straight line across the outline

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

How clean the water is

Latest test
Fit only for irrigation

Fit only for irrigation, cooling and waste disposal. Class E on the state board’s scale from A, the cleanest, to E.

Tested Jul 2026

See source
Class each month, tested 16 times since Apr 2025
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 1 months. Fit only for irrigation: 15 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
Muddy
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Agriculture & road runoff

See source
Every reading
Show every reading

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

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C25
Dissolved oxygenmg/L2
pH7.5
ConductivityµS/cm1,250
BODmg/L15
Nitratemg/L as N5
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL1,70,000
Total coliformMPN/100mL3,30,000
Bicarbonatemg/L308
TurbidityNTU12
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3308
Chloridemg/L216
CODmg/L170
Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N6
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N4.6
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3344
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3176
Calciummg/L70.4
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3168
Magnesiummg/L40.8
Sulphatemg/L55
Sodiummg/L120
Dissolved solidsmg/L850
Suspended solidsmg/L22
Phosphatemg/L0.38
Potassiummg/L6
Fluoridemg/L0.38
Sodium share%35
Sodium adsorption ratio2.8
Orthophosphatemg/L1

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026E2151,70,0003,30,000See source
Jun 2026E1.3572,6007,000See source
May 2026E2801,4004,900See source
Apr 2026E212,1007,900See source
Mar 2026E961,7005,800See source
Feb 2026E2.66827220See source
Jan 2026E442,3004,900See source
Dec 2025E3222,20013,000See source
Nov 2025D4.282,3005,800See source
Oct 2025E0.8572103,500See source
Sep 2025E0.721621350See source
Aug 2025E1.6231,10013,000See source
Jul 2025E667904,300See source
Jun 2025E45022,0001,30,000See source
May 2025E1.2211,7007,000See source
Apr 2025E90220See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.4%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
11.3 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

Farmers

See source
Taken for

Agriculture

See source
Where it is encroached

On the west, north and south-west side

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage & burned waste

See source
Other problems noted

Soil excavation & Stone dump

See source
Land record maps
See source
Land within 500 m

53% crops, 17% shrubs, 14% built, 12% trees, 3% grass, 2% bare ground

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source

Who looks after it

Looked after by
Zilla Panchayat

ZP

See source

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Hebbal

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Doddagubbi Kere

See source
Catchment
12.8 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rainfall & drain

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

4 inlet drains, 1 overflow weir, 1 sluice gate and 1 culvert

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Cattle feeding and irrigation

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
10 species

Most seen: Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Greater Coucal, Pied Kingfisher and Black-shouldered Kite.

11 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
10 species

11 records, all in 2021

See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
4 times

2 species, 1 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Common Kingfisher and Indian Five-fingered Frog.

Last seen Apr 2025

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Fish, birds and frogs

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Agriculture, layout & plantation

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Greater Bengaluru
Outside the city limits
See source
Village
Chikkagubbi

Bidarahalli hobli, Bengaluru East taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

73

See source
Height above sea level
901 m
See source
Coordinates

13.0874° N, 77.6652° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
75
2018 lake survey
BUBEBDcgb_kr1-820
Lake Development Authority
LDA087
KGIS tank map
795