Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Kannalli Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Kannehalli village, Bengaluru North taluk

See it on the map
Size
53.1 acresAbout 30 football pitches
Rank by size
162nd largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Vrishabhavathi
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 3% encroached.

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1904 to 1913, 1915 to 1954, 1956 to 1972 and 1974 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1903 to 2026.

  1. 1903

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  2. 1914

    Not on the survey map

    See source

  3. 1955

    Not on the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  4. 1973

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water most years

    Water in 8% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    26% 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. 2017-2025

    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

  7. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    3% encroached, muddy, 68.2 acres surveyed

    See source

  8. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 34 months, most often fit only for irrigation

    Aug 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  9. 2025-2026

    Mostly floating weed after the monsoon and in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 4% open water
    • 93% floating weed
    • 3% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 2% open water
    • 94% floating weed
    • 4% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
53.1 acres

About 30 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
68.2 acres

About 39 football pitches

See source
End to end
834 m

The longest straight line across the outline

See source
Deepest point, 2018
4.5 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 Aug 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 13 months. Fit only for irrigation: 21 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 runoff, dumping and burning solid waste & fibres

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the west

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, dissolved oxygen, nitrite, phenolphthalein alkalinity

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C30
pH7.1
ConductivityµS/cm1,597
BODmg/L62
Nitratemg/L as N6.1
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL4,600
Total coliformMPN/100mL12,000
Bicarbonatemg/L600
TurbidityNTU29.2
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3600
Chloridemg/L200
CODmg/L252
Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N41
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N32
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3420
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3212
Calciummg/L84.8
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3208
Magnesiummg/L50.6
Sulphatemg/L74
Sodiummg/L168
Dissolved solidsmg/L1,090
Suspended solidsmg/L34
Phosphatemg/L0.62
Potassiummg/L17
Fluoridemg/L0.42
Sodium share%45
Sodium adsorption ratio3.5
Orthophosphatemg/L1.4

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026E624,60012,000See source
Jun 2026E0.53517,00049,000See source
May 2026E2.2234305,400See source
Apr 2026E5033,00046,000See source
Mar 2026E2.2273,2009,400See source
Feb 2026D5763220See source
Jan 2026E2.7462402,200See source
Dec 2025E3.2164004,300See source
Nov 2025E1.6213804,300See source
Oct 2025E1.3282202,400See source
Sep 2025E2.7161,40,00,0004,90,00,000See source
Aug 2025E2.8201,7007,900See source
Jul 2025E2.2222,00017,000See source
Jun 2025D5.251402,400See source
May 2025D6.142,6006,300See source
Apr 2025D5131,5004,800See source
Mar 2025E3.3144603,500See source
Feb 2025D681701,200See source
Jan 2025D5.5102103,500See source
Dec 2024D5.691,4004,900See source
Nov 2024E2.973103,500See source
Oct 2024E1.82014,00048,000See source
Sep 2024E0.7173903,500See source
Aug 2024E2.8303302,400See source
Jul 2024E232,4004,800See source
Jun 2024E453,10017,000See source
May 2024E2.7161302,400See source
Apr 2024D6.142201,700See source
Mar 2024D4.151,7007,900See source
Feb 2024D5.654003,500See source
Jan 2024D6.144,00017,000See source
Dec 2023D4.4849016,000See source
Oct 2023D4.895809,200See source
Aug 2023E1.3241703,500See 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
2017-11-22Inlet25.2458.1590280246.86.2243.3271,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
3.80 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

The public and farmers

See source
Taken for

Settlement & agriculture

See source
Where it is encroached

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

See source
Dumped in it

Construction debris, garbage, agriculture, & industrial wastes

See source
Other problems noted

Soil excavation

See source
Land within 500 m

40% crops, 19% shrubs, 14% grass, 13% trees, 13% built, 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 lake page

Open its page on the city’s lake monitoring site

See source

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Vrishabhavathi

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Manganahalli Lake

See source
Catchment
9.2 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

3 inlet drains, 2 overflow weirs, 2 sluice gates, 1 culvert, no check dams and no islands

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Cattle feeding and washing

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

5MLD STP

565 m away, treats 5 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
152 species

Most seen: Common Myna, Indian Peafowl, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black Kite and Ashy Prinia.

13,079 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
172 species

13,100 records, 1992 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
7
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • Rufous-tailed Lark near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
  • Red-necked Falcon near threatened
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
114 times

69 species, 78 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Hycleus biundulatus, Wood Sandpiper, Paddyfield Pipit, Black-winged Stilt and Booted Warbler.

Last seen Jul 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Frogs, fish and birds

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent, submerged, rooted floating and free floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Agriculture & settlement

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Greater Bengaluru
Outside the city limits
See source
Village
Kannehalli

Yeshwanthpura hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

5, 78

See source
Height above sea level
830 m
See source
Coordinates

12.9676° N, 77.4618° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
521
2018 lake survey
BUBNYPkan_kr1-129
KGIS tank map
1212
City lake monitoring site
213