Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Hulimavu Kere

ಹುಳಿಮಾವು ಕೆರೆ

Also called Hulimavu Lake

Kere, a large tank, in Vijaya Bank Layout ward, Bengaluru South

See it on the map
Size
96.7 acresAbout 55 football pitches
Rank by size
80th 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
0.8% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 10% encroached.
Campaign
Residents are organising here

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1907 to 1944, 1946 to 1954, 1956 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1906 to 2026.

  1. 1906

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  2. 1945

    On the survey map

    See source

  3. 1955

    On the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  4. 1980

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water most years

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

    19% of its water area has since gone dry; 0% 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. 2017-2018

    In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached

    This census's status marks are often wrong

    See source

  7. 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

  8. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    10% encroached, polluted, 130 acres surveyed

    See source

  9. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 13 months, most often fit only for wildlife and fish

    Dec 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  10. 2024

    On the state's list of Bengaluru lakes, looked after by BBMP

    See source

  11. 2025-2026

    Mostly floating weed after the monsoon; mostly dry or built in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 3% open water
    • 72% floating weed
    • 25% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0.1% open water
    • 34% floating weed
    • 66% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
96.7 acres

About 55 football pitches

See source
Land records
15.8 acres

About 9 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
130 acres

About 74 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 13 times since Dec 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 11 months. Fit only for irrigation: 2 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, human defecation & cattle wading

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the west and south

See source
Older tests
3 readings

From 2011 and 2021

See sourceSee 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, cod, nitrite, phenolphthalein alkalinity, phosphate, kjeldahl nitrogen

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C26
Dissolved oxygenmg/L5.6
pH8.2
ConductivityµS/cm780
BODmg/L5
Nitratemg/L as N2.8
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL460
Total coliformMPN/100mL2,800
Bicarbonatemg/L124
TurbidityNTU12
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3124
Chloridemg/L188
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N0.4
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3136
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO372
Calciummg/L28.8
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO364
Magnesiummg/L15.6
Sulphatemg/L50
Sodiummg/L99
Dissolved solidsmg/L508
Suspended solidsmg/L32
Potassiummg/L19
Fluoridemg/L0.51
Sodium share%57
Sodium adsorption ratio3.9
Orthophosphatemg/L0.3

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026D5.654602,800See source
Jun 2026E5.863402,400See source
Feb 2026D5.563302,400See source
Jan 2026D5.96342,800See source
Dec 2025D5.863102,200See source
Nov 2025D5.262102,800See source
Oct 2025D5.263202,800See source
Sep 2025D5.863103,500See source
Aug 2025D6.242402,200See source
Jul 2025D591701,400See source
Aug 2024D672405,400See source
Jan 2024D644,60054,000See source
Dec 2023E2.42970016,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingChloridePhosphateSuspended solidsmg/LNitratemg/L as NTotal hardnessFluoridepHZincCopperManganeseAluminiumWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2011Hulimavu kere, Inlet2210.2182.692760.438.090.060.010.470.87See source
2021Hulimavu Lake, LakeLowest6.9253.1217313,30024,000See source
2021Hulimavu Lake, LakeHighest7.9257.21,466105.217,0001,60,000See 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
2018-02-0522.657.69536601044.24820212240
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.8%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
19.6 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

The public, farmers and government agencies

See source
Taken for

Buildings, layout, park, vacant land, agriculture land, road, government school & temple

See source
Where it is encroached

On the south, south-west, west and north-west side

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage dump, construction debris

See source
Land record maps
See source
Land within 500 m

63% built, 17% trees, 9% crops, 7% grass, 3% 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
To be developed
See source
City zone
Rajarajeshwari Nagar
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

Madiwala Lake

See source
Catchment
11.4 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

4 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 and washing

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Hulimavu 10MLD Sewage Treatment Plant

565 m away, treats 10 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
166 species

Most seen: Black Kite, Indian Pond-Heron, Ashy Prinia, Gray Heron and Purple Heron.

18,334 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
233 species

18,474 records, 2010 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
5
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Pallid Harrier near threatened
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
178 times

76 species, 148 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Gram Blue, Lesser Grass Blue, Pea Blue, Dark Grass Blue and Common Grass-dart.

Last seen Aug 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Fish, birds, butterflies and dragonflies

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent, free floating and rooted floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Settlement & vacant land

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 59
Vijaya Bank Layout

ವಿಜಯ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಲೇಔಟ್

Bengaluru South corporation, Bommanahalli assembly seat

See source
Village
Hulimavu

Begur hobli, Bengaluru South taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

42 (Hulimavu), 110 (Kammanahalli)

See source
Height above sea level
910 m
See source
Coordinates

12.8706° N, 77.6042° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
126
2018 lake survey
BUBSBGhum_kr1-1448
Lake Development Authority
LDA218
KGIS tank map
1006
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302865/002
City lake monitoring site
61