Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Madiwala Lake

ಮಡಿವಾಳ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Madivala Kere, Madiwala Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Bilekahalli ward, Bengaluru South

See it on the map

Size

222 acresAbout 126 football pitches

Rank by size

22nd largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist

Valley

Koramangala-Challaghatta

Who looks after it

KFDKarnataka Forest Department

Water quality

Fit only for irrigationTested Jul 2026

Built over

0.2% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 1% encroached.

Campaign

Residents are organising here

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1904 to 1944, 1946 to 1954, 1956 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983.

Water seen by satellite each year, up to 157 acres. Grey: years it saw under half the lake

What covers it each year:waterbuilt on or bareplants or weed

1903

1945

1955

1980

1984

1903
Built
As the 2018 lake survey records it
See source
1945
On the survey map
See source
1955
On the U.S. Army map
Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46
See source
1980
On the survey map
See source
1984-2021
Held water every year
Water in 43% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024
2% of its water area has since gone dry; 33% 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 source See source
2000
Restored
See source
2017-2018
In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached
This census's status marks are often wrong
See source
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
2018
Still there in the 2018 lake survey
1% encroached, polluted, 277 acres surveyed
See source
2023-2026
Tested by the state board in 36 months, most often fit only for wildlife and fish
Jul 2023 to Jul 2026
See every test See source
2025-2026
Mostly open water after the monsoon; mostly floating weed in the dry season
After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025
53% open water
44% floating weed
3% dry or built
Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026
43% open water
51% floating weed
6% dry or built
See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline

222 acres

About 126 football pitches

See source

2018 lake survey

277 acres

About 157 football pitches

See source

End to end

1.9 km

The longest straight line across the outline

See source

Deepest point, 2018

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 36 times since Jul 2023

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

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, fluoride, nitrite, phenolphthalein alkalinity

Measure	Unit	Value
Water temperature	°C	26
Dissolved oxygen	mg/L	2.5
pH		7
Conductivity	µS/cm	401
BOD	mg/L	12
Nitrate	mg/L as N	1.54
Faecal coliform	MPN/100mL	580
Total coliform	MPN/100mL	2,800
Bicarbonate	mg/L	100
Turbidity	NTU	23.4
Total alkalinity	mg/L as CaCO3	100
Chloride	mg/L	13
COD	mg/L	116
Kjeldahl nitrogen	mg/L as N	1.76
Ammonia nitrogen	mg/L as N	1.1
Total hardness	mg/L as CaCO3	210
Calcium hardness	mg/L as CaCO3	140
Calcium	mg/L	56
Magnesium hardness	mg/L as CaCO3	70
Magnesium	mg/L	17
Sulphate	mg/L	40
Sodium	mg/L	40
Dissolved solids	mg/L	268
Suspended solids	mg/L	32
Phosphate	mg/L	0.38
Potassium	mg/L	4
Sodium share	%	29
Sodium adsorption ratio		1.2
Orthophosphate	mg/L	0.98

Every month the state board tested it

Month	Class	Dissolved oxygenmg/L	BODmg/L	Faecal coliformMPN/100mL	Total coliformMPN/100mL	Source
Jul 2026	E	2.5	12	580	2,800	See source
Jun 2026	D	4.8	9	700	2,800	See source
May 2026	E	1.6	27	700	16,000	See source
Apr 2026	D	5.6	6	400	2,800	See source
Mar 2026	D	6.1	4	470	2,800	See source
Feb 2026	D	6.1	5	240	3,500	See source
Jan 2026	D	4.5	6	39	920	See source
Dec 2025	D	6	6	6,800	15,000	See source
Nov 2025	D	5.9	6	310	2,800	See source
Oct 2025	D	5.2	5	220	2,400	See source
Sep 2025	D	5.4	6	390	4,300	See source
Aug 2025	D	5.8	7	200	3,500	See source
Jul 2025	E		10	3,100	17,000	See source
Jun 2025	D	4.2	6	1,700	6,300	See source
May 2025	D	4.2	5	140	3,500	See source
Apr 2025	E	3.3	17	150	3,500	See source
Mar 2025	E	3.1	20	1,200	7,900	See source
Feb 2025	D	4.2	5	310	2,200	See source
Jan 2025	D	5.4	10	170	3,500	See source
Dec 2024	D	6	6	410	4,300	See source
Nov 2024	D	6.8	7	43	1,600	See source
Oct 2024	D	4.4	5	3,300	7,900	See source
Sep 2024	D	5.3	6	1,700	4,600	See source
Aug 2024	D	6.2	4	1,400	7,900	See source
Jul 2024	D	4.7	4	9,200	46,000	See source
Jun 2024	E	3.6	16	2,000	12,000	See source
May 2024	E	1	38	1,700	9,400	See source
Apr 2024	D	5.2	8	1,400	7,900	See source
Mar 2024	D	4.5	6	1,700	7,900	See source
Feb 2024	D	4.3	8	400	3,500	See source
Jan 2024	D	6	4	7,900	92,000	See source
Dec 2023	E	3.1	11	480	16,000	See source
Oct 2023	E	2.6	14	4,700	92,000	See source
Sep 2023	D	4.1	12	3,300	35,000	See source
Aug 2023	D	4.8	8	4,000	35,000	See source
Jul 2023	D	5.8	5	4,000	35,000	See source

Older tests

Date	Where	Reading	Water temperature°C	Dissolved oxygenmg/L	pH	ConductivityµS/cm	BODmg/L	Nitrate and nitritemg/L as N	Faecal coliformMPN/100mL	Total coliformMPN/100mL	Source
2021	Madiwala Tank, Tank	Lowest	25	4.2	6.7	286	3	1.03	2,300	24,000	See source
2021	Madiwala Tank, Tank	Highest	25	7.1	8.4	1,402	10	4.3	1,70,000	16,00,000	See source

Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18 lake survey

Date	Where	Water temperature°C	Light transparencycm	pH	ConductivityµS/cm	Dissolved solidsmg/L	Suspended solidsmg/L	TurbidityNTU	Dissolved oxygenmg/L	CODmg/L	BODmg/L	Total phosphate	Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N	Total coliformMPN/100mL
2018-01-09		22.5	3	7.3	572	400	18	14	4.9	80	26.3	2	14	1,600

See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline

0.2%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source

Encroached area, 2017

11.1 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source

Encroached by

Government agencies and the public

See source

Taken for

Road & houses

See source

Where it is encroached

On the north-west side

See source

Dumped in it

Garbage dump

See source

Land record maps

See source

Land within 500 m

87% built, 11% trees, 1% crops, 0.5% grass

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source

Who looks after it

Looked after by

Karnataka Forest Department

KFD

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

Water comes from

Overflows into

Catchment

38.6 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, 2 sluice gates, 1 culvert, no check dams and 1 island

See source

Used for, 2018 survey

Fishing, cattle feeding, washing and boating

See source

Nearest sewage treatment plant

Agaram 35MLD Sewage Treatment Plant

2.8 km away, treats 35 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded

166 species

Most seen: Black Kite, Indian Pond-Heron, Brahminy Kite, Little Cormorant and Gray Heron.

19,072 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source

All wildlife recorded

261 species

19,238 records, 2002 to 2026

See source

Threatened species seen here

Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
River Tern vulnerable
Indian Roller near threatened
Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
Indian Spotted Eagle near threatened
Steppe Eagle endangered
Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
Caterpillar Slug endangered

See source

Photographed on iNaturalist

624 times

210 species, 367 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Ditch Jewel, Purple Heron, Gray-headed Swamphen, Grey Heron and Lemon Pansy.

Last seen Aug 2026

See source

Animals seen, 2018 survey

Snails, 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

See source

Photos

Where it is

Ward 60

Bilekahalli

ಬಿಳೇಕಹಳ್ಳಿ

Bengaluru South corporation, Bommanahalli assembly seat

See source

Village

Madiwala

Begur hobli, Bengaluru South taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source

Land survey numbers

76 (Madivala), 64 (Belekannahalli), 11 (Rupena Agrahara)

See source

Height above sea level

890 m

See source

Coordinates

12.9066° N, 77.6168° E

See source

Wikipedia

Madiwala lake is one of the biggest lakes in Bangalore, India spread over an area of 114.3 hectare. The water in the lake was fit for drinking till the early 1990s. Since then it has become unfit for drinking due to industrial waste and sewage entering the waterbody. It has gradually become polluted.

Read Madiwala Lake on Wikipedia

See source

OpenStreetMap