Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Kempambudhi Lake

ಕೆಂಪಾಂಬುಧಿ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Kempambudhi Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Kempambudhi Ward ward, Bengaluru West

See it on the map
Size
32.3 acresAbout 18 football pitches
Rank by size
284th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Vrishabhavathi
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Fit only for wildlife and fishTested Jul 2026
Built over
3% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 20% encroached.

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1905 to 1944, 1946 to 1954, 1956 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1904 to 2026.

  1. 1904

    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 in 14 of 38 years

    Water in 4% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    0% of its water area has since gone dry; 23% 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. 1986

    Listed as a disused tank by the Lakshman Rau committee

    Printed as Kempambudhi tank, tank 698

    14.84 ha, as printed in the 1986 report

    Among the tanks between Hosur Road and Mysore Road

    Work to be done by: Forest Dept. Pourisa Dept

    Condition
    “The Kempambudhi tank is located towards west of Gavipuram Guttahalli. The tank is ill kept by allowing sullage water from east and fron south. A swinming pool and a park are developed on the southern side and a tree park in the eastern side. A sizeable water sheet is main-~ tained on the northern side. The tank bund is in good condition. There are historical aonuments on the bund and in the surrounding areas, Some encroachments are seen on the northern side”
    Land use the 1984 development plan proposed
    “Pari & open spaces”
    What the committee recommended
    “The B.W.S.S.B to stop flow of sullage. Water front shou- 1d be developed. The shore areas and the bund ereas to be planted with trees. The committee recomuends for maintainance of water sheet on the northern side and play ground in the southern side”

    Quoted from a scan of the report, so the words may carry reading errors

    See source

  7. 2017-2018

    In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached

    This census's status marks are often wrong

    See source

  8. 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

  9. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    20% encroached, polluted, 56.4 acres surveyed

    See source

  10. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 36 months, most often fit only for irrigation

    Jul 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  11. 2024

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

    See source

  12. 2025-2026

    Mostly floating weed after the monsoon and in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 2% open water
    • 84% floating weed
    • 14% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0% open water
    • 71% floating weed
    • 29% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
32.3 acres

About 18 football pitches

See source
Land records
47.2 acres

About 27 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
56.4 acres

About 32 football pitches

See source
End to end
578 m

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 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 36 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 14 months. Fit only for irrigation: 22 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 east

See source
Older tests
2 readings

From 2021

See source
Every reading
Show every reading

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

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C29
Dissolved oxygenmg/L5.3
pH7.2
ConductivityµS/cm418
BODmg/L5
Nitratemg/L as N1.6
Nitritemg/L as N0.07
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL470
Total coliformMPN/100mL2,800
Bicarbonatemg/L50
TurbidityNTU26.1
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO350
Chloridemg/L30
CODmg/L56
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N0.6
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3150
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3100
Calciummg/L40
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO350
Magnesiummg/L12.2
Sulphatemg/L75
Sodiummg/L42
Dissolved solidsmg/L286
Suspended solidsmg/L34
Phosphatemg/L0.5
Potassiummg/L4
Sodium share%37
Sodium adsorption ratio1.48
Orthophosphatemg/L1.17

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026D5.354702,800See source
Jun 2026D4.366303,500See source
May 2026D5.254704,300See source
Apr 2026E0.8163,20014,000See source
Mar 2026E2.4183,80012,000See source
Feb 2026D4.372,3009,400See source
Jan 2026E2.2384709,200See source
Dec 2025E3274704,300See source
Nov 2025E2.3304,6007,000See source
Oct 2025E1.6242,0009,400See source
Sep 2025D4.9111,1008,400See source
Aug 2025D5.252002,800See source
Jul 2025D5.192,3009,400See source
Jun 2025E2.2232604,300See source
May 2025D5.272602,200See source
Apr 2025E1.7302,6009,400See source
Mar 2025E1.5419304,900See source
Feb 2025E1.4222,60035,000See source
Jan 2025D4.552,1009,400See source
Dec 2024D4.653,80021,000See source
Nov 2024D6.292103,500See source
Oct 2024E3.4162,3009,400See source
Sep 2024E2.2112,0009,400See source
Aug 2024E3.1192,00017,000See source
Jul 2024D4.8811,00033,000See source
Jun 2024E3.6122,20013,000See source
May 2024E2.9141,7007,900See source
Apr 2024E2.6122,0009,400See source
Mar 2024E2.9204,50023,000See source
Feb 2024D5.3513,00033,000See source
Jan 2024E3.1173,90014,000See source
Dec 2023E3.2152,70024,000See source
Oct 2023E2.1227,90035,000See source
Sep 2023D4.1958016,000See source
Aug 2023E3.1124,80035,000See source
Jul 2023E3141,70024,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Kempambudhi Lake, LakeLowest254.36.529930.882,30024,000See source
2021Kempambudhi Lake, LakeHighest256.88.5787142.31,40,00016,00,000See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
3%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
47.2 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

The public and government agencies

See source
Taken for

Temple, road, houses, park & slum

See source
Where it is encroached

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

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage dump

See source
Other problems noted

Park

See source
Land within 500 m

81% built, 18% trees

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
South
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
Overflows into

Vrishibhavathi river

See source
Catchment
3.6 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rainfall & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

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

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Park maintenance

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Kempabudhi Sewage Treatment Planet

401 m away

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
98 species

Most seen: Indian Pond-Heron, Black Kite, Western Swamphen, Little Grebe and Spot-billed duck.

614 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
99 species

616 records, 2015 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
1
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
82 times

31 species, 79 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Indian Pond-Heron, Black Kite, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Grey Heron and Little Grebe.

Last seen Aug 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds and butterflies

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent and free floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Park, v, settlement & temple

See source

Photos

Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024
Kempambudhi Lake, photographed in 2024
Gpkp / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2024

Where it is

Ward 101
Kempambudhi Ward

ಕೆಂಪಾಂಬುಧಿ ವಾರ್ಡ್

Bengaluru West corporation, Basavanagudi assembly seat

See source
Village
Kempambudhi Kere

Kasaba hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

2

See source
Height above sea level
884 m
See source
Coordinates

12.9510° N, 77.5611° E

See source

Read more

Wikipedia

Lakes and tanks in the metropolitan area of Greater Bangalore and the district of Bangalore Urban are reservoirs of varying sizes constructed over a number of centuries by various empires and dynasties for rainwater harvesting. Historically, these reservoirs were primarily either irrigation tanks or for the water supply, with secondary uses such as bathing and washing. The need for creating and sustaining these man-made dammed freshwater reservoirs was created by the absence of a major river nearby coupled with a growing settlement. As Bangalore grew from a small settlement into a city, both of the primary historical uses of the tanks changed. Agricultural land witnessed urbanization and alternate sources of water were provisioned, such as through borewells, piped reservoir water and later river water from further away.

Read Kempambudhi Lake on Wikipedia

See source
OpenStreetMap
See source
Wikimedia Commons

See every photo of it

See source
Wikidata

Q107639034

See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
487
2018 lake survey
BUBNBKkpb_kr1-44
KGIS tank map
1027
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302827/001
City lake monitoring site
24