Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Kalkere Kere

ಕಾಲ್ಕೆರೆ

Also called Kalkere Lake, Kalkeri Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Horamavu ward, Bengaluru East

See it on the map
Size
147 acresAbout 83 football pitches
Rank by size
46th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Hebbal
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 5% encroached.
Campaign
Residents are organising here

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1928 to 1934, 1936 to 1954, 1956 to 1977 and 1979 to 1983.

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

  1. 1927

    On the survey map

    See source

  2. 1935

    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. 1978

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water every year

    Water in 10% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    1% of its water area has since gone dry; 36% is new water

    31 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

    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

    5% encroached, dry, 194 acres surveyed

    Restored, year not recorded

    See source

  9. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 34 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 floating weed in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 31% open water
    • 36% floating weed
    • 33% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0.4% open water
    • 86% floating weed
    • 13% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
147 acres

About 83 football pitches

See source
Land records
73.3 acres

About 42 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
194 acres

About 110 football pitches

See source
End to end
1.9 km

The longest straight line across the outline

See source
Deepest point, 2018
3 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 34 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 10 months. Fit only for irrigation: 24 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
Dry
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Sewage

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the east

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

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C25
Dissolved oxygenmg/L1.6
pH8
ConductivityµS/cm1,240
BODmg/L12
Nitratemg/L as N4.8
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL630
Total coliformMPN/100mL4,300
Bicarbonatemg/L288
TurbidityNTU16
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3288
Chloridemg/L212
CODmg/L125
Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N2.6
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N2
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3340
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3176
Calciummg/L70.4
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3164
Magnesiummg/L39.9
Sulphatemg/L54
Sodiummg/L120
Dissolved solidsmg/L840
Suspended solidsmg/L28
Phosphatemg/L0.36
Potassiummg/L6
Fluoridemg/L1
Sodium share%35
Sodium adsorption ratio2.8
Orthophosphatemg/L1.06

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026E1.6126304,300See source
Jun 2026E0.8901401,700See source
May 2026D5.744003,500See source
Apr 2026D5.256302,800See source
Mar 2026D5.453303,500See source
Feb 2026E35114240See source
Jan 2026E0.8315,80012,000See source
Dec 2025E2171701,600See source
Nov 2025D4.482,70011,000See source
Oct 2025E1.4394601,700See source
Sep 2025E3.1142,6009,400See source
Aug 2025E3232103,500See source
Jul 2025E502701,700See source
Jun 2025E2.42226017,000See source
May 2025D4.861,3004,600See source
Mar 2025E3.3161,1006,300See source
Feb 2025E3517022,000See source
Jan 2025E3.1201,4009,400See source
Dec 2024E3.2111703,500See source
Nov 2024D4.361402,400See source
Oct 2024E381,2007,900See source
Sep 2024D4.291,1001,300See source
Aug 2024E2.6151,40013,000See source
Jul 2024E3.2166305,400See source
May 2024E1.6421,1007,900See source
Apr 2024E0.9216,80049,000See source
Mar 2024E1482,3009,400See source
Feb 2024E2.82021,00047,000See source
Jan 2024E2.6194,00017,000See source
Dec 2023E2.31770,0003,50,000See source
Oct 2023E2.8154,60035,000See source
Sep 2023D4.1111,70024,000See source
Aug 2023D4.11241,0003,50,000See source
Jul 2023D4.2118,40092,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Kalkere Tank, TankLowest251.86.539340.43,30024,000See source
2021Kalkere Tank, TankHighest256.38.41,201255.328,00,0001,60,00,000See source

Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18 lake survey

DateWhereWater temperature°CLight transparencycmpHConductivityµS/cmDissolved solidsmg/LSuspended solidsmg/LTurbidityNTUDissolved oxygenmg/LCODmg/LBODmg/LKjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as NTotal coliformMPN/100mL
2017-03-0326.4278.11,380880282154814.16281,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
10.6 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

Private owners

See source
Taken for

House & layout

See source
Where it is encroached

On the north and west side

See source
Other problems noted

As per RTC, Sy.No.58 is in name of Uma Balagavi & T.B. Balagavi

See source
Land record maps
See source
Land within 500 m

29% built, 28% crops, 24% trees, 15% shrubs, 4% grass, 0.8% 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
Developed
See source
City zone
Mahadevapura
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
Hebbal

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Rampura Kere

See source
Catchment
186.3 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

No inlet drains, no overflow weirs, no sluice gates, no culverts, no check dams and no islands

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Cattle feeding

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Horamavu Agara 20MLD Sewage Treatment Plant

362 m away, treats 20 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
183 species

Most seen: Indian Pond-Heron, Black Kite, Black Drongo, Ashy Prinia and Spotted Dove.

22,105 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
205 species

22,137 records, 1991 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
8
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
  • Egyptian Vulture endangered
  • Red-necked Falcon near threatened
  • Black-tailed Godwit near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
179 times

83 species, 105 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Chequered Keelback, Signature Spider, Ditch Jewel, Common Tiger Butterfly and Western Marsh Harrier.

Last seen Aug 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent and floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Layout & coconut plantation

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 2
Horamavu

ಹೊರಮಾವು

Bengaluru East corporation, K.R. Pura assembly seat

See source
Village
Kalakere

KR Puram hobli, Bengaluru East taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

58 (Bhairathi), 36 (Horamavu Agara), 45 (Kalkere), 36 (Kyalasanahali), 101, 106 (Bilashiwale)

See source
Height above sea level
884 m
See source
Coordinates

13.0475° N, 77.6630° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Wikidata

Q34893654

See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
43
2018 lake survey
BUBEKRklk_kr1-711
Lake Development Authority
LDA256
KGIS tank map
743
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302697/002
City lake monitoring site
162