Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Somanahalli Lake

See it on the map
Size
22.4 acresAbout 13 football pitches
Rank by size
404th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Suvarnamukhi
Who looks after it
Nobody on record looks after it
Water quality
Not tested for water quality yet
Built over
2% of the lakeSatellite land cover, 2021

Through the years

Nothing on record for 1946 to 1954, 1956 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. 1955

    On the U.S. Army map

    Compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46

    See source

  3. 1980

    On the survey map

    See source

  4. 1984-2021

    Held water in 25 of 38 years

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

    13% of its water area has since gone dry; 0.8% 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. 2025-2026

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

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 0.1% open water
    • 69% floating weed
    • 31% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 0.1% open water
    • 19% floating weed
    • 81% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

Drawn outline
22.4 acres

About 13 football pitches

See source
End to end
537 m

The longest straight line across the outline

See source

How clean the water is

Not tested for water quality yet.

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
2%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Land within 500 m

41% crops, 27% trees, 18% built, 11% shrubs, 4% grass

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source

Who looks after it

Nobody on record looks after it.

Where its water comes from and goes

Valley
Suvarnamukhi

The river basin its water drains to

See source
Catchment
2.6 km²

The land that drains into it

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
157 species

Most seen: Indian Pond-Heron, Brahminy Kite, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black Kite and Little Egret.

3,185 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
158 species

3,186 records, 2017 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
6
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Indian Spotted Eagle near threatened
  • Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
20 times

15 species, 19 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Black-winged Stilt, Indian Pond-Heron, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Kingfisher and Amegilla violacea.

Last seen Feb 2026

See source

Around it

Nothing on record about what is around it.

Photos

No photos of it on Wikimedia Commons yet.

Where it is

Greater Bengaluru
Outside the city limits
See source
Height above sea level
720 m
See source
Coordinates

12.7694° N, 77.5014° E

See source

Read more

Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
911
KGIS tank map
149
Water bodies census
1/12/002/000003/000027/001