Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Doddabidarakallu Lake

ದೊಡ್ಡಬಿದರಕಲ್ಲು ಕೆರೆ

Also called Doddabidirakallu Kere, Chikkabidarakallu Lake

Kere, a large tank, in Dodda Bidarakallu ward, Bengaluru West

See it on the map
Size
29.4 acresAbout 17 football pitches
Rank by size
318th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Arkavathi
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Fit only for irrigationTested Jul 2026
Built over
0% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 0.1% encroached.

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1915 to 1920, 1922 to 1954, 1956 to 1973 and 1975 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1914 to 2026.

  1. 1914

    Not on the survey map

    See source

  2. 1921

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  3. 1955

    On the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  4. 1974

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water in 11 of 38 years

    Water in 0.8% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    10% of its water area has since gone dry; 0.6% is new water

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

    See sourceSee source

  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 plants or weed every year

    Floating weed shows as crops or grass here, not as water

    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

    0.1% encroached, polluted, 40.4 acres surveyed

    See source

  9. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 24 months, most often fit only for irrigation

    Jul 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  10. 2025-2026

    Part floating weed, part dry or built after the monsoon; mostly dry or built in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 30% open water
    • 38% floating weed
    • 33% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0% open water
    • 0% floating weed
    • 100% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
29.4 acres

About 17 football pitches

See source
Land records
40.1 acres

About 23 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
40.4 acres

About 23 football pitches

See source
End to end
608 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

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 24 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 8 months. Fit only for irrigation: 16 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
Polluted
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Sewage

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the north and north-east

See source
Older tests
2 readings

From 2021

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

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

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C30
Dissolved oxygenmg/L2
pH6.8
ConductivityµS/cm642
BODmg/L22
Nitratemg/L as N2.5
Nitritemg/L as N0.6
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL3,900
Total coliformMPN/100mL17,000
Bicarbonatemg/L104
TurbidityNTU12
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3104
Chloridemg/L108
CODmg/L168
Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N5.8
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N4.5
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3160
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO380
Calciummg/L32
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO380
Magnesiummg/L19.4
Sulphatemg/L78
Sodiummg/L67
Dissolved solidsmg/L434
Suspended solidsmg/L16
Phosphatemg/L0.63
Potassiummg/L7
Fluoridemg/L0.35
Sodium share%46
Sodium adsorption ratio2.3
Orthophosphatemg/L1.5

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026E2223,90017,000See source
Jun 2026E0.9424,9009,400See source
Feb 2026E2.824320940See source
Jan 2026D5.563,10014,000See source
Dec 2025D5.462602,200See source
Nov 2025D4.555802,800See source
Oct 2025D563203,500See source
Sep 2025D5.8532017,000See source
Aug 2025D553102,800See source
Jul 2025D5.551779See source
Jun 2025E164,30014,000See source
Feb 2025E10514,00084,000See source
Jan 2025E8111,00046,000See source
Dec 2024E932,60028,000See source
Nov 2024D5.462103,500See source
May 2024E8017,00048,000See source
Apr 2024E0.8584,50,00023,00,000See source
Mar 2024E0.81811,00,00049,00,000See source
Feb 2024E2.12058,0001,40,000See source
Jan 2024E5022,00070,000See source
Dec 2023E204,90092,000See source
Oct 2023E2.4172,30024,000See source
Aug 2023E0.5181,70035,000See source
Jul 2023E831,70,00024,00,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Doddabidarakallu Lake, LakeLowest250.36.397491.23,30024,000See source
2021Doddabidarakallu Lake, LakeHighest255.17.41,73737582,30,00,00,0002,40,00,00,000See source

Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18 lake survey

DateWhereWater temperature°CpHConductivityµS/cmDissolved solidsmg/LSuspended solidsmg/LTurbidityNTUDissolved oxygenmg/LCODmg/LBODmg/LTotal phosphateKjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as NTotal coliformMPN/100mLLight transparencycm
2017-11-22Inlet26.57.11,511700506277.50.232076.81.6521,600
2017-11-22Outlet26.27.11,573852557490.214434.61.3661,6005
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
2.80 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

The public

See source
Taken for

Houses

See source
Where it is encroached

On the south-west side

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage dump

See source
Other problems noted

RTC shows Agri.permission given to Radhaswami Sathsanga Biyas & others

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

62% built, 21% trees, 8% crops, 6% shrubs, 2% grass, 0.5% 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
To be developed
See source
City zone
Rajarajeshwari Nagar
See source

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Arkavathi

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Madavara Kere

See source
Catchment
8.5 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

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

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Nagasandra

313 m away, treats 20 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
63 species

Most seen: Indian Peafowl, Wood Sandpiper, White-throated Kingfisher, Red-wattled Lapwing and Indian Pond-Heron.

295 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
77 species

311 records, 2020 to 2025

See source
Threatened species seen here
1
  • Indian Roller near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
88 times

48 species, 80 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Wood Sandpiper, Indian Peafowl, Black-winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis and Little Ringed Plover.

Last seen Oct 2025

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds and dragonflies

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Free floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Complete

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Buildings & P

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 11
Dodda Bidarakallu

ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬಿದರಕಲ್ಲು

Bengaluru West corporation, Yeshwanthapura assembly seat

See source
Village
Doddabidrakallu

Yeshwanthpura hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

125 (Doddabidarakallu), 6 (Nagasandra)

See source
Height above sea level
884 m
See source
Coordinates

13.0427° N, 77.4958° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
252
2018 lake survey
BUBNYPdbk_kr2-97
Lake Development Authority
LDA121
KGIS tank map
1150
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302712/001