Map, 1799 to 1808
Colin Mackenzie's Mysore Survey, 2 miles to an inch
British Library
Where the tanks were, with the villages and the land they watered.
- Covers
- The whole area
- Licence
- Not known
Lakes on record, 1800 to today
We know of 53 records of Bengaluru’s lakes, from 1799 to 2026. They run down the page oldest first. Each one says what it tells us about a lake, with our copy and a link to the original.
- Maps 17
- Censuses 6
- Satellite and aerial photos 9
- Reports and lists 21
1700s
1799
1799
1800s
1800
1800
Map, 1800
James Ross, survey of the boundaries of Purgunna of Bangalore
British Library, via Wikimedia Commons
It may show tanks; nobody has checked the image for them yet.
- Covers
- Most of both districts
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Our copy
- The 1800 survey map PNG, 16.1 MB
1808 to 1843Nothing on record.
1843
1843
Map, 1843
Cantonment and city plan
Wikimedia Commons, old maps of Bengaluru
The large central tanks, by name.
- Covers
- The city only
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The 1843 cantonment plan JPEG, 8.3 MB
1854
1854
Map, 1854
Cantonment and city plan
Wikimedia Commons, old maps of Bengaluru
The large central tanks, by name.
- Covers
- The city only
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The 1854 city plan JPEG, 9.0 MB
1878
1878
Map, 1878
Map of the Bangalore Taluk
Survey of India, via Wikimedia Commons
Tank outlines; the names are likely unreadable at this scan size.
- Covers
- The old Bangalore taluk
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The 1878 taluk map PNG, 4.2 MB
1900s
1900
1900
Map, about 1900
Cantonment and city plan
Wikimedia Commons, old maps of Bengaluru
The large central tanks, by name.
- Covers
- The city only
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The city plan of about 1900 JPEG, 15.3 MB
1914
1914
Map, 1914 to 1917
Survey of India one-inch sheets, first editions
Survey of India, via Zenodo
Whether a lake was drawn on the map, from tank outlines and embankments, most of them unnamed.
- Covers
- 7 of the 10 Bangalore District sheets, not the two city sheets: 57G/4, 57G/8, 57G/16, 57H/5, 57H/6, 57H/7 and 57H/10
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
See it in sources and credits
1915
1915
Map, 1915
Revenue village maps
Karnataka Land Records, via Wikimedia Commons
Every tank in a village, by survey number.
- Covers
- One village found so far, Singapura
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The Singapura village map JPEG, 24.4 MB
1927
1927
Map, 1927
Survey of India one-inch sheet 57 G/12
Survey of India, via Wikimedia Commons
Whether a lake was drawn on the map in 1927.
- Covers
- Both districts, with the 1945 and 1955 sheets
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
1945
1945
Map, 1945
Survey of India one-inch sheet 57 H/9
Survey of India, via Wikimedia Commons
Whether a lake was drawn on the map in 1945.
- Covers
- Both districts, with the 1927 and 1955 sheets
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
1955
1955
Map, 1955
U.S. Army Map Service sheets, 1:250,000
U.S. Army Map Service, via Wikimedia Commons
Whether a lake was drawn on the map in 1955, compiled from Survey of India maps of 1945-46.
- Covers
- Both districts, with the 1927 and 1945 sheets
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and credits
1955 to 1984Maps from the 1970s draw the tanks, but only spy satellite photos show whether small ponds held water.
1960
1960
Satellite or aerial photo, 1960 to 1972
CORONA declassified satellite photos
USGS EarthExplorer
Water, a dry bed or buildings on one date, down to ponds under an acre.
- Covers
- Frames over Bangalore exist; a 1965 frame was used in a 2019 study
- Licence
- Not stated
The original
1961
1961
Census, 1961
Census of India district handbook
Census of India
How much land each village watered from tanks, not each lake.
- Covers
- Both districts
- Licence
- No licence stated
Our copy
- The 1961 handbook PDF, 6.7 MB
1971
1971
Census, 1971
Census of India district handbook
Census of India
How much land each village watered from tanks, not each lake.
- Covers
- Both districts
- Licence
- No licence stated
Our copy
- The 1971 handbook PDF, 9.1 MB
Satellite or aerial photo, 1971 to 1984
HEXAGON declassified satellite photos
USGS
Water, a dry bed or buildings on one date, at 0.6 to 1.2 m.
- Covers
- Frames over Bangalore unconfirmed
- Licence
- Not stated
The original
1972
1972
Satellite or aerial photo, 1972 to 1981
Landsat MSS, 60 m
USGS, via Microsoft Planetary Computer
Whether a lake held water, for lakes over about 8 acres.
- Covers
- Both districts, from Landsat 1, 2 and 3
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- 11 November 1972, image PNG, 4.9 MB
- 11 November 1972, data GeoTIFF, 5.7 MB
- 27 February 1973, image PNG, 5.2 MB
- 27 February 1973, data GeoTIFF, 5.4 MB
- 26 February 1975, image PNG, 4.7 MB
- 26 February 1975, data GeoTIFF, 5.2 MB
- 5 December 1976, image PNG, 4.7 MB
- 5 December 1976, data GeoTIFF, 5.2 MB
- 5 March 1977, image PNG, 5.0 MB
- 5 March 1977, data GeoTIFF, 5.5 MB
- 3 April 1980, image PNG, 3.8 MB
- 3 April 1980, data GeoTIFF, 4.5 MB
1973
1973
Map, 1973 to 1980
Survey of India one-inch sheets, later editions
Survey of India, via Zenodo
Whether a lake was drawn on the map, from each tank's surveyed outline and name.
- Covers
- Every Bangalore District sheet: 57G/4 (1973), 57G/7 (1975), 57G/8 (1974), 57G/12 (1978), 57G/16 (1974), 57H/5 (1973), 57H/6 (1973), 57H/7 (1979), 57H/9 (1980) and 57H/10 (1973), with edges on Kolar sheets 57G/11 (1975, 1977) and 57H/13 (1973)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
See it in sources and creditsThe original
- Sheet 57 G/4 (1973) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 G/7 (1975) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 G/8 (1974) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 G/12 (1978) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 G/16 (1974) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 H/5 (1973) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 H/6 (1973) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 H/9 (1980) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 H/10 (1973) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 G/11 (1975) (opens in a new tab)
- Sheet 57 H/13 (1973) (opens in a new tab)
1984
1984
Satellite or aerial photo, 1984 to 2021
Global Surface Water
European Commission Joint Research Centre and Google
Whether a lake held water each year, for lakes over about 2 acres.
- Covers
- Everywhere; a summary layer runs to 2024
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
See it in sources and credits
1986
1986
Report or list, 1986
Lakshman Rau Expert Committee report
India Water Portal
Each tank's name, size in hectares, condition, land use and what the committee recommended.
- Covers
- 127 city tanks and 262 green belt tanks
- Licence
- No licence stated
1990
1990
Report or list, 1990
Bangalore District Gazetteer
What it records about each lake is not known.
- Covers
- Bangalore District
- Licence
- Not known
1991
1991
Census, 1991
Census of India district handbook
Census of India
How much land each village watered from tanks, not each lake.
- Covers
- Both districts
- Licence
- No licence stated
Our copy
- The 1991 handbook PDF, 10.7 MB
2000s
2002
2002
Report or list, 2002
Lake Development Authority list
Lake Development Authority
The authority's list of lakes; what it records about each one is not known.
- Covers
- Not known
- Licence
- Not known
2007
2007
Report or list, 2007
A. T. Ramaswamy committee on land encroachment
OpenCity
How a few tanks were encroached, case by case.
- Covers
- The city
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The report, part 1 PDF, 11.6 MB
- The report, part 2 PDF, 668 KB
The original
2011
2011
Census, 2011
Census village directory, SHRUG tables
Development Data Lab
How many hectares each village watered from tanks, and whether its tank worked all year.
- Covers
- Both districts
- Licence
- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Report or list, 2011
Justice N. K. Patil committee report, lakes PIL
OpenCity
Findings on 386 lakes; the annexes with each lake's details are not found.
- Covers
- 1,300 sq km
- Licence
- Not stated
Our copy
- The report PDF, 2.4 MB
Report or list, 2011
Bangalore lakes water quality results
Department of Mines and Geology, Karnataka
What was in a lake's water when it was tested in 2011.
- Covers
- The lakes tested
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2012
2012
Satellite or aerial photo, 2012 to now
Water Bodies Information System
ISRO Bhuvan
How far a lake's water spread, month by month or more often.
- Covers
- Water bodies over 2 ha, and over 1 ha since 2022
- Licence
- Not stated
The original
2014
2014
Report or list, 2014 to 2017
Koliwad legislature committee full report, in Kannada
OpenCity
Each lake's survey number, how much was encroached, by whom and for what.
- Covers
- Bengaluru and surrounding lakes, 273 pages
- Licence
- Not stated
Our copy
- The full report PDF, 6.7 MB
- The abstract of encroached tanks PDF, 38 KB
The original
2015
2015
Report or list, 2015
Bangalore lakes water quality
What was in a lake's water when it was tested in 2015.
- Covers
- The lakes tested
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Satellite or aerial photo, 2015 to now
Dynamic World, 10 m
Google Earth Engine
The chance of water in each image, for ponds over about a quarter acre.
- Covers
- Everywhere
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
The original
2016
2016
Report or list, 2016
Jakkur Lake analysis
What was in Jakkur Lake's water through 2016.
- Covers
- Jakkur Lake
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2017
2017
Census, 2017-18
Water Bodies Census, first
Ministry of Jal Shakti, via OpenCity
Whether each water body was in use or encroached.
- Covers
- Both districts
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Satellite or aerial photo, 2017 to 2025
Yearly land cover, 10 m
Impact Observatory, Microsoft and Esri
How much of a lake's area was water, plants, built on or bare, each year.
- Covers
- Everywhere; it carries yearly water past 2021
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2018
2018
Report or list, 2018
Lake inventory of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area
Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute
Whether each lake was still there, and its extent, condition and encroachment.
- Covers
- 1,521 water bodies
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2019
2019
Report or list, 2019-20
CSIR-NEERI report on Bengaluru lakes
CSIR-NEERI, via OpenCity
Each lake's encroachment, boundary, inlets and water quality.
- Covers
- 210 city lakes
- Licence
- Public domain
Our copy
- The report PDF, 26.3 MB
The original
2021
2021
Satellite or aerial photo, 2021
WorldCover, 10 m
European Space Agency
How much land around each lake was built on, trees or water.
- Covers
- Everywhere
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Report or list, 2021
Water quality of lakes and ponds, national monitoring
Central Pollution Control Board
What was in a lake's water when it was tested in 2021.
- Covers
- The lakes tested
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2022
2022
Report or list, 2022
Lake groups in Bengaluru
Citizen Matters
Which residents' groups work on a lake.
- Covers
- Bengaluru
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2023
2023
Map, 2023
Wetlands of Bengaluru Urban
Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre, via OpenCity
265 wetland outlines, without names.
- Covers
- Bengaluru Urban
- Licence
- Public domain
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Census, 2023-24
Water Bodies Census, second
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Whether each water body is in use or encroached.
- Covers
- Karnataka reported 38,960 water bodies
- Licence
- Not stated
The original
Report or list, july 2023 to July 2026
Monthly water quality of Bengaluru lakes
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board
A lake's water quality class, month by month.
- Covers
- Lakes with a monitoring station
- Licence
- Not stated
2024
2024
Report or list, 2024
List of lakes in Bengaluru
Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority
Which agency looks after each lake.
- Covers
- The city
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Report or list, 2024 to 2026
BBMP and Greater Bengaluru Authority encroachment surveys
BBMP and Greater Bengaluru Authority
How much of each lake is encroached.
- Covers
- 210 lakes
- Licence
- Not known
2025
2025
Satellite or aerial photo, 2025 to 2026
Sentinel-2 images
European Space Agency, Copernicus programme
How much of a lake is open water, floating weed or dry now.
- Covers
- Everywhere
- Licence
- Copernicus Sentinel data terms, free and open
See it in sources and creditsThe original
2026
2026
Map, 2026
OpenStreetMap water areas
OpenStreetMap contributors
Lake outlines drawn by volunteers, and Kannada names.
- Covers
- Around Bengaluru
- Licence
- ODbL 1.0
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Report or list, 2026
Karnataka Minor Irrigation tank list
National Water Data Portal
Each tank's name, village, water spread and capacity, but not its location or year.
- Covers
- 146 tanks in both districts, in a list of 3,404 across the state
- Licence
- Not stated
Our copy
- The statewide tank list CSV, 501 KB
No year
No year
Map, no year on record
Map of lakes in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts
ATREE-CSEI, from the BBMP lake master list
Each lake's outline, the shape this site draws.
- Covers
- 1,350 lakes
- Licence
- CC BY
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Map, no year on record
Bengaluru Urban lake and pond maps
Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre, via OpenCity
Outlines for lakes the ATREE map does not draw.
- Covers
- Bengaluru Urban
- Licence
- Public domain
Map, no year on record
Lake maps, digital and survey
Department of Survey, Settlement and Land Records, Karnataka
The official map of each lake, by village and survey number.
- Covers
- Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural
- Licence
- Not stated
Report or list, no year on record
Lakes in BBMP custody
BBMP, via OpenCity
Who looks after each lake, and its extent on land records.
- Covers
- Lakes in BBMP custody
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Report or list, no year on record
Lakes Monitoring System
BBMP Lakes Division
Where each city lake is, with a page for each one.
- Covers
- City lakes
- Licence
- Not stated
See it in sources and creditsThe original
Report or list, no year on record
Wetlands Authority Karnataka inventory
Wetlands Authority Karnataka
An entry for each of 16,700 water bodies.
- Covers
- 16,700 water bodies
- Licence
- Not known
Report or list, no year on record
National Wetland Atlas, tables for each lake
What it records about each lake is not known.
- Covers
- Not known
- Licence
- Not known
