Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Melinakere

ಅಂಬಲಿಪುರ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Ambalipura kere, Ambalipura Upper Lake, Ambalipura Melina Kere

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

See it on the map
Size
9.21 acresAbout 5.2 football pitches
Rank by size
792nd largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Koramangala-Challaghatta
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Not tested for water quality yet
Built over
0.9% of the lakeSatellite land cover, 2021

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1946 to 1957, 1959 to 1979 and 1981 to 1983.

The records listed below, drawn on one line from 1945 to 2026.

  1. 1945

    On the survey map

    See source

  2. 1958

    Built

    As the 2018 lake survey records it

    See source

  3. 1980

    On the survey map

    See source

  4. 1984-2021

    Held water in 15 of 38 years

    Water in 2% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    0% of its water area has since gone dry; 17% is new water

    Floating weed looks like dry land to this record, so a weed-covered year can read as dry

    See sourceSee source

  5. 2017-2018

    In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached

    This census's status marks are often wrong

    See 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

    Polluted, 12.4 acres surveyed

    Restored, year not recorded

    See source

  8. 2024

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

    See source

  9. 2025-2026

    Mostly floating weed after the monsoon; mostly dry or built in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 0.4% open water
    • 57% floating weed
    • 43% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0% open water
    • 0.7% floating weed
    • 99% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
9.21 acres

About 5.2 football pitches

See source
Land records
12.4 acres

About 7 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
12.4 acres

About 7 football pitches

See source
End to end
308 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

State pollution board
Not tested by the state board
How it looked in 2018
Polluted
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Sewage

See source
Sewage flows in, 2018

From the south and south-east

See source
Inlet and outlet tests, 2017-18
1 readings
See source
Every reading
Show every reading

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
2017-12-0422.9217.33842501101.24812.30.201,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0.9%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
2.27 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage

See source
Other problems noted

Apartments in buffer zone

See source
Land within 500 m

40% trees, 35% built, 22% shrubs, 1% water, 1% crops

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

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Koramangala-Challaghatta

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Overflows into

Ibbalur Govt. Lake

See source
Catchment
0.6 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

3 inlet drains, 1 overflow weir, no sluice gates, 4 culverts, no check dams and no islands

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

250 KLD Water Reclamation Plant

1.1 km away, treats 0.25 million litres a day

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
100 species

Most seen: Spot-billed duck, White-throated Kingfisher, Black Kite, Pale-billed Flowerpecker and Little Grebe.

1,186 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
111 species

1,198 records, 2019 to 2026

See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
389 times

134 species, 330 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Asian Green Bee-eater, Indian Paradise-Flycatcher, Black Kite, Pied Bushchat and Shikra.

Last seen Jul 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Free floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Buildings & forest area

See source

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Ward 31
Kasavanahalli

ಕಸವನಹಳ್ಳಿ

Bengaluru South corporation, Mahadevapura assembly seat

See source
Village
Ambalipura

Varthuru hobli, Bengaluru East taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

36

See source
Height above sea level
833 m
See source
Coordinates

12.9130° N, 77.6629° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
94
2018 lake survey
BUBEVRamb_kr3-506
Lake Development Authority
LDA013
KGIS tank map
959
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302822/003