Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Mallathahalli Lake

ಮಲ್ಲತ್ತಹಳ್ಳಿ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Muddayyanapalya Lake

Kere, a large tank, in Ullal ward, Bengaluru West

See it on the map
Size
52.5 acresAbout 30 football pitches
Rank by size
165th 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
0.5% of the lakeSatellite land cover, 2021

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 26% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    0% of its water area has since gone dry; 18% 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. 2011

    Restored

    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

    Polluted, 72.4 acres surveyed

    See source

  10. 2023-2026

    Tested by the state board in 35 months, most often fit only for wildlife and fish

    Jul 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  11. 2025-2026

    Part open water, part dry or built after the monsoon; mostly dry or built in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 41% open water
    • 20% floating weed
    • 38% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 25% open water
    • 15% floating weed
    • 60% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
52.5 acres

About 30 football pitches

See source
Land records
51.1 acres

About 29 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
72.4 acres

About 41 football pitches

See source
End to end
774 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 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 35 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 30 months. Fit only for irrigation: 5 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 north-west, north and 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, phenolphthalein alkalinity, phosphate

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C24
Dissolved oxygenmg/L2.6
pH7.2
ConductivityµS/cm692
BODmg/L32
Nitratemg/L as N2.8
Nitritemg/L as N0.08
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL460
Total coliformMPN/100mL3,500
Bicarbonatemg/L196
TurbidityNTU65
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3196
Chloridemg/L56
CODmg/L248
Kjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as N2
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N1.6
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3200
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO3104
Calciummg/L41.6
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO396
Magnesiummg/L23.3
Sulphatemg/L30
Sodiummg/L57
Dissolved solidsmg/L472
Suspended solidsmg/L80
Potassiummg/L3
Fluoridemg/L0.46
Sodium share%38
Sodium adsorption ratio1.75
Orthophosphatemg/L0.45

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026E2.6324603,500See source
Jun 2026D4.264604,300See source
May 2026D643903,500See source
Apr 2026D5.566304,300See source
Mar 2026D6.553904,300See source
Feb 2026D6433240See source
Jan 2026D6.5533920See source
Dec 2025D6.64461,600See source
Nov 2025D6.243102,800See source
Oct 2025D5.952404,300See source
Sep 2025D4.672101,100See source
Aug 2025D4.892402,200See source
Jul 2025D5.952601,700See source
Jun 2025D5.462,60014,000See source
May 2025E2.1241403,500See source
Apr 2025D5.881402,400See source
Mar 2025D5.462,6009,400See source
Feb 2025D5.9478013,000See source
Jan 2025D741,1007,900See source
Dec 2024D4.442202,400See source
Nov 2024D5.85782,400See source
Oct 2024D7.141,7004,800See source
Sep 2024D5.752603,500See source
Aug 2024D4.952,10011,000See source
Jul 2024D5.881202,400See source
Jun 2024D4.2102,60014,000See source
May 2024E3.4141702,400See source
Apr 2024E583103,500See source
Mar 2024D4.672702,400See source
Feb 2024E3.7143402,400See source
Jan 2024D4.683302,400See source
Dec 2023D4.391,70024,000See source
Oct 2023D5.563,10054,000See source
Sep 2023D5.343,30054,000See source
Jul 2023D5643016,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Malathahalli Tank, TankLowest250.36.337541.64,90024,000See source
2021Malathahalli Tank, TankHighest255.87.61,898387.811,00,00092,00,000See source

Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18 lake survey

DateWhereWater temperature°CpHConductivityµS/cmDissolved solidsmg/LSuspended solidsmg/LTurbidityNTUDissolved oxygenmg/LCODmg/LBODmg/LTotal phosphateKjeldahl nitrogenmg/L as NTotal coliformMPN/100mL
2017-11-22Inlet24.47.59861,09618124.116021.64221,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.5%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
3.17 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Dumped in it

Construction debris & garbage

See source
Land within 500 m

80% built, 9% trees, 5% crops, 4% shrubs, 2% grass, 0.7% 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
Work in progress
See source
City zone
Rajarajeshwari Nagar
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

Muppatu Kavalu Hosa Kere

See source
Catchment
6.1 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

6 inlet drains, 1 overflow weir, 1 sluice gate, 4 culverts, no check dams and 2 islands

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Boating and religious activity

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Mallathahalli Sewage Treatment Plant

314 m away, treats 5 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
138 species

Most seen: Black Kite, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Indian Pond-Heron, White-throated Kingfisher and Red-wattled Lapwing.

6,176 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
142 species

6,180 records, 2014 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
4
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Black-tailed Godwit near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
438 times

138 species, 215 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Ornamental Tree Trunk Spider, Wood Sandpiper, Painted Stork, Two-striped Telamonia and Thomisus projectus.

Last seen Jun 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds and snails

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Agriculture, settlement & layout

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 16
Ullal

ಉಳ್ಳಾಲ

Bengaluru West corporation, Yeshwanthapura assembly seat

See source
Village
Mallathahalli

Yeshwanthpura hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

101 (Mallathahalli), 6, 26 (Gidadakonenhalli)

See source
Height above sea level
848 m
See source
Coordinates

12.9651° N, 77.4946° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
492
2018 lake survey
BUBNYPmlt_kr7-185
KGIS tank map
1154
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302801/001
City lake monitoring site
149