Lakes of Bendakaluru

Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

Sowl Kere

ಸಾಲ್ ಕೆರೆ

Also called Bellandure Gramadakere, Saul Kere

Kere, a large tank, in Shivanasamudra Ward ward, Bengaluru East

See it on the map
Size
45.5 acresAbout 26 football pitches
Rank by size
199th largestOf 1,621 lakes that still exist
Valley
Koramangala-Challaghatta
Who looks after it
BBMPBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
Water quality
Fit only for wildlife and fishTested Jul 2026
Built over
0% of the lakeSatellite land cover, 2021
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.

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. 1945

    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. 1980

    On the survey map

    See source

  5. 1984-2021

    Held water every year

    Water in 6% of all satellite passes, 1984-2024

    0% of its water area has since gone dry; 32% is new water

    31 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. 2016

    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, 61.9 acres surveyed

    See source

  10. 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 testSee source

  11. 2024

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

    See source

  12. 2025-2026

    Mostly open water after the monsoon; mostly dry or built in the dry season

    After monsoon, Oct 2025 to Dec 2025

    • 59% open water
    • 39% floating weed
    • 2% dry or built

    Dry season, Mar 2026 to May 2026

    • 3% open water
    • 29% floating weed
    • 69% dry or built
    See source

How big it is

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

Drawn outline
45.5 acres

About 26 football pitches

See source
Land records
23.8 acres

About 14 football pitches

See source
2018 lake survey
61.9 acres

About 35 football pitches

See source
End to end
649 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 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 36 times since Jul 2023
Fit only for wildlife and fish: 29 months. Fit only for irrigation: 7 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 south-west and south-east

See source
Older tests
1 readings

From 2015

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, kjeldahl nitrogen

MeasureUnitValue
Water temperature°C24
Dissolved oxygenmg/L5
pH7.1
ConductivityµS/cm704
BODmg/L10
Nitratemg/L as N2.7
Nitritemg/L as N0.67
Faecal coliformMPN/100mL470
Total coliformMPN/100mL3,500
Bicarbonatemg/L148
TurbidityNTU13.2
Total alkalinitymg/L as CaCO3148
Chloridemg/L160
CODmg/L96
Ammonia nitrogenmg/L as N0.89
Total hardnessmg/L as CaCO388
Calcium hardnessmg/L as CaCO344
Calciummg/L17.6
Magnesium hardnessmg/L as CaCO344
Magnesiummg/L10.7
Sulphatemg/L20
Sodiummg/L74
Dissolved solidsmg/L486
Suspended solidsmg/L18
Potassiummg/L8
Fluoridemg/L0.35
Sodium share%63
Sodium adsorption ratio3.4
Orthophosphatemg/L0.29

Every month the state board tested it

MonthClassDissolved oxygenmg/LBODmg/LFaecal coliformMPN/100mLTotal coliformMPN/100mLSource
Jul 2026D5104703,500See source
Jun 2026D5.653302,400See source
May 2026D461201,600See source
Apr 2026E3.7164605,400See source
Mar 2026D5.174301,500See source
Feb 2026D6.254009,200See source
Jan 2026E2.1142,70013,000See source
Dec 2025D6.253302,100See source
Nov 2025D5.352202,400See source
Oct 2025D6.142302,800See source
Sep 2025D651401,700See source
Aug 2025D4.183803,500See source
Jul 2025D4.891702,400See source
Jun 2025D4.8111,7009,400See source
May 2025E3.2252602,200See source
Apr 2025E3.271704,300See source
Mar 2025D5.872601,400See source
Feb 2025D4.482104,300See source
Jan 2025D6.552602,800See source
Dec 2024D4.852103,500See source
Nov 2024D4.852502,800See source
Oct 2024D6.3731,0001,70,000See source
Sep 2024D6.143203,500See source
Aug 2024D6.352703,500See source
Jul 2024E1.8183205,400See source
Jun 2024D6.253,500460See source
May 2024D4.2122401,700See source
Apr 2024D5.95261,600See source
Mar 2024E3.492,70011,000See source
Feb 2024D4.473103,500See source
Jan 2024D4.9811,00079,000See source
Dec 2023E3.2144,30054,000See source
Oct 2023D651,30024,000See source
Sep 2023D5.9540016,000See source
Aug 2023D4.584,00092,000See source
Jul 2023D5.642,20035,000See source

Older tests

DateWhereReadingpHConductivityµS/cmDissolved solidsmg/LDissolved oxygenmg/LSource
2015-05-26Sowl Kere9.31,2005926.6See 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
2017-12-0422.8127.87105921122.81.84811.50.171,600
See source

How much is built over

Built inside the outline
0%

From satellite land cover, 2021

See source
Encroached area, 2017
0.70 acres

Reported by the state legislature’s committee on lake encroachment

See source
Dumped in it

Garbage

See source
Other problems noted

As per RTC, Plantation for KFD

See source
Land record maps
See source
Land within 500 m

68% built, 24% trees, 2% crops, 2% shrubs, 1% bare ground, 1% water, 0.9% grass

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
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

See source
Water comes from
See source
Overflows into

Varthur Lake

See source
Catchment
23.7 km²

The land that drains into it

See source
Fed by, 2018 survey

Rain

See source
Built parts, 2018 survey

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

See source
Used for, 2018 survey

Cattle feeding

See source
Nearest sewage treatment plant

Sewage Treatment Plant

258 m away

See source

What lives here

Birds recorded
210 species

Most seen: Ashy Prinia, Spotted Dove, Western Swamphen, Indian Pond-Heron and Black Drongo.

2,28,035 sightings, mostly from birdwatchers

See source
All wildlife recorded
451 species

2,28,632 records, 2016 to 2026

See source
Threatened species seen here
8
  • Spot-billed Pelican near threatened
  • Greater spotted eagle vulnerable
  • River Tern vulnerable
  • Indian Roller near threatened
  • Woolly-necked Stork near threatened
  • Teak endangered
  • Tawny Eagle vulnerable
  • Red-necked Falcon near threatened
See source
Photographed on iNaturalist
3,577 times

507 species, 2,254 confirmed by other naturalists.

Most seen: Bronze-winged Jacana, Glossy Ibis, Ashy Prinia, Gray-headed Swamphen and Grey Heron.

Last seen Sep 2026

See source
Animals seen, 2018 survey

Birds and butterflies

See source
Water plants, 2018 survey

Emergent, submerged and free floating

See source
Weed cover, 2018 survey

Complete

See source

Around it

Around it in 2018

Vacant land, plantation, companies, apartments & sheds

See source

Photos

Sowl Kere, photographed in 2022
రవిచంద్ర / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2022
Sowl Kere, photographed in 2022
రవిచంద్ర / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons, 2022

Where it is

Ward 49
Shivanasamudra Ward

ಶಿವನಸಮುದ್ರ ವಾರ್ಡ್

Bengaluru East corporation, Mahadevapura assembly seat

See source
Village
Doddakannenahalli

Varthuru hobli, Bengaluru East taluk, Bengaluru Urban district

See source
Land survey numbers

65 (Belanduru), 36 (Kaikondanahalli), 68 (Doddakanelli)

See source
Height above sea level
875 m
See source
Coordinates

12.9182° N, 77.6803° E

See source

Read more

OpenStreetMap
See source
Its number in each record
ATREE lake map
104
2018 lake survey
BUBEVRddk_kr9-538
Lake Development Authority
LDA041
KGIS tank map
633
Water bodies census
2/12/002/276600/1302822/010
City lake monitoring site
199