Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Sankey Tank

ಸಾಂಕಿ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Gandadakoti Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Sadashiva Nagara ward, Bengaluru West

See it on the map
Size
35.8 acresAbout 20 football pitches
Rank by size
251st 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
5% of the lakeSatellite, 2021. The 2018 survey found 6% encroached.

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1905 to 1926, 1928 to 1954, 1956 to 1977 and 1979 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. 1927

    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. 1978

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water every year

    Water in 48% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    1% of its water area has since gone dry; 15% is new water

    4 years not counted: the satellite saw under half the lake

    See sourceSee source

  6. 1986

    Listed as a disused tank by the Lakshman Rau committee

    Printed as Sankey tank, tank 692

    Among the tanks between Mysore Road and Tumkur Road

    Work to be done by: Forest Dept.& Tourism

    Condition
    “The tank was built in 1882 for water supply purposes. The bund is in good condition and there is water in the central part of the bed A swimming pool is built ub on the eastern side& a Dini park on the western side. Recently Tourisu dept. has introduced Boeting facility”
    Land use the 1984 development plan proposed
    “Yatersheet on the Southern side and public and semipublic on the northern side”
    What the committee recommended
    “To develop tree park on the northern and western side & boating 2awakBbpt. facility on the southern side”

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

    See source

  7. 2007

    Restored

    See source

  8. 2017-2018

    In the water bodies census, not marked as encroached

    This census's status marks are often wrong

    See source

  9. 2017-2025

    Mostly water every year

    About three in four of these readings are right, so trust what holds for several years

    See source

  10. 2018

    Still there in the 2018 lake survey

    6% encroached, clean, 46.5 acres surveyed

    See source

  11. 2023-2026

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

    Aug 2023 to Jul 2026

    See every testSee source

  12. 2024

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

    See source

  13. 2025-2026

    Mostly open water after the monsoon and in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 83% open water
    • 10% floating weed
    • 7% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 78% open water
    • 5% floating weed
    • 17% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
35.8 acres

About 20 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
46.5 acres

About 26 football pitches

See source
End to end
1.1 km

The longest straight line across the outline

See source
Deepest point, 2018
9 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 35 times since Aug 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 35 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
Clean
See source
What pollutes it, 2018

Road runoff

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, nitrite, phenolphthalein alkalinity, phosphate, kjeldahl nitrogen, suspended solids

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C27
Dissolved oxygenmg/L5.8
pH7.1
ConductivityµS/cm533
BODmg/L5
Nitratemg/L as N2
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL400
Total coliformMPN/100mL3,500
Bicarbonatemg/L172
TurbidityNTU7.2
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3172
Chloridemg/L84
CODmg/L56
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N0.4
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO3132
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO368
Calciummg/L27.2
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO364
Magnesiummg/L15.6
Sulphatemg/L39
Sodiummg/L53
Dissolved solidsmg/L368
Potassiummg/L5
Fluoridemg/L0.28
Sodium share%46
Sodium adsorption ratio2
Orthophosphatemg/L0.13

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026D5.854003,500See source
Jun 2026D463402,400See source
May 2026D4.264002,800See source
Apr 2026D64791,600See source
Mar 2026D644,00035,000See source
Feb 2026D4.868402,800See source
Jan 2026D5.963302,100See source
Dec 2025D6.442202,400See source
Nov 2025D6.2514,00079,000See source
Oct 2025D6.141402,400See source
Sep 2025D6.242202,400See source
Aug 2025D4.9123104,300See source
Jul 2025D6.253104,300See source
Jun 2025D6.54171,600See source
May 2025D551703,500See source
Apr 2025D6.9463540See source
Mar 2025D5.66140840See source
Feb 2025D6.541701,300See source
Jan 2025D741202,400See source
Dec 2024D5.856804,100See source
Nov 2024D5.25221,600See source
Oct 2024D582,40017,000See source
Sep 2024D6.242202,400See source
Aug 2024D6.941702,400See source
Jul 2024D5.971703,500See source
Jun 2024D5.75171,600See source
May 2024D6.1640016,000See source
Apr 2024D4.871702,400See source
Mar 2024D5.873203,500See source
Feb 2024D576303,500See source
Jan 2024D4.587003,500See source
Dec 2023D4.4848016,000See source
Oct 2023D5.14491,600See source
Sep 2023D5.646305,400See source
Aug 2023D4.9746016,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingWater temperature°CDissolved oxygenmg/LpHConductivityµS/cmBODmg/LNitrate and nitritemg/L as NFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
2021Sankey Tank, TankLowest254.96.526730.564902,400See source
2021Sankey Tank, TankHighest256.87.68158333,00,0002,40,00,000See 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
2017-11-28Inlet2547.337320012146.210610171,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
5%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
3.30 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Encroached by

Swimming pool, park, Shivaji Statute, Road and vacant land

See source
Taken for

BBMP, forest Dept

See source
Where it is encroached

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

See source
Dumped in it

Religious waste

See source
Land within 500 m

51% built, 45% trees, 2% grass, 0.9% water, 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 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

Ulsoor lake

See source
Catchment
1 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain & drain fed

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

7 inlet drains, 1 overflow weir, no sluice gates, 1 culvert, no check dams and no islands

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Park maintenance

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
108 species

Most seen: Black Kite, House Crow, Rock Pigeon, Brahminy Kite and Common Myna.

4,031 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
172 species

4,136 records, 2000 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
5
  • Swan Goose endangered
  • Indian Flying Fox near threatened
  • Bonnet macaque vulnerable
  • Black Poui vulnerable
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
662 times

148 species, 357 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Great Cormorant, Mallard, Pond Slider, Brahminy Kite and White-throated Kingfisher.

Last seen Sep 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds, butterflies, dragonflies and snakes

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent and floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Partial

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Settlement, aranya bhavan & pool

See source

Photos

Sankey Tank, photographed in 2019
Naphisharity Syiem / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2019
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2019
Naphisharity Syiem / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2019
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2019
Advay m / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2019
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2019
Advay m / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2019
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2016
Mouni9 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2016
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2016
Mouni9 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2016
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2016
Mouni9 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2016
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2016
Mouni9 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2016
Sankey Tank, photographed in 2016
Mouni9 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2016

Where it is

Ward 50
Sadashiva Nagara

ಸದಾಶಿವ ನಗರ

Bengaluru West corporation, Malleshwaram assembly seat

See source
Village
Rajamahal

Kasaba hobli, Bengaluru North taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

2

See source
Height above sea level
917 m
See source
Coordinates

13.0119° N, 77.5733° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Wikidata

Q49703576

See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
497
2018 lake survey
BUBNBKrjm_kr4-68
KGIS tank map
747
Water bodies census
2/12/002/253190/025550/001
City lake monitoring site
21