Sankey tank a manmade lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 or tank

Irrigation tank

For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...

, is situated in the western part of Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

 in the middle of the suburbs of Malleshwaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashiva Nagar. The lake covers an area of about 15 ha (37.1 acre). At its widest, the tank has a width of 800 m (2,624.7 ft)

Sankey tank was constructed by Col. Richard Hieram Sankey

Richard Hieram Sankey

Lieutenant General Sir Richard Hieram Sankey KCB was an officer in the Royal Engineers in the East India Company's army in British India, later transferring to the British Army after the Indian Mutiny and the assumption of Crown rule in India.See also The Sankey Tank in Bangalore which he...

 (RE

Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....

) of the Madras Sappers Regiment, in 1882, to meet the water supply demands of Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

. The tank was also known as Gandhadhakotikere, as the Government Sandalwood Depot used to be located near the lake.

History

Sankey reservoir was constructed in 1882 and the works cost Rupees 575000. It was linked to the Miller's tank and Dharmambudhi tank and was built as a safeguard against water shortages, such as that experienced in the Great Famine of 1875-77. The quality of water was not very good and when Lord Connemara, Governor of Madras visited in July 1888 it was commented upon by a local wit: "The men who are thrown off their horses and killed on the spot at Bangalore are the only ones that are allowed by doctors not to have died from drinking bad water".

Threats

The threats posed to the survival of the lake, which were also identified by the local people (morning joggers) using the lake, refer to:

• Contamination of water with sewage flowing in from seven points, which are connected to storm water drains
• Choked drains with garbage and sewage
• Leaking sewage pipes connected to a public toilet at a park
• Decrease in the biological oxygen demand and high BOD content due to sewage
• Threats to fish and plants. During the tests conducted in 2001 also the DO was reported to vary from 3.7 to 8.1, BOD between 2 and 8 and the pH varied from 7.1 to 7.5.
• Reduction number of ducks, fish and migratory birds due to polluted condition of the lake waters

Restoration actions

The tank was converted into a park by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) with funds provided by the Government of Karnataka. In addition, the following were also implemented.

• Removing encroachments
• Alum purification treatment to absorb toxic elements and germs
• Nursery towards the north.
• Paved Walkways
• Landscaped parks
• Special tank for idol immersion during Ganesh Chaturthi
  Ganesh Chaturthi
  Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...
  
   festival
• Restoration of swimming pool

Legal land encroachment tangle

In 2004, local builders’ proposal to construct a multistory building in the Sankey tank bed was challenged by petitioners in the Karnataka Lok Adalat (Peoples Court, an adjunct of the High Court). But the Court was informed by the Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BMP) that it had not sanctioned any plan for the proposed building and that it would take immediate action to prevent any such steps by the developer taken without a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The Lok Adalat ordered the Forest Department to repossess 0.52 ha (1.3 acre) of land belonging to it from the real estate developers who had set out to build an apartment block there. The Lake Development Authority also recommended that no construction or development activity should be allowed within a distance of 100 m (328.1 ft) from lakes in order to ensure that the water bodies in the city are not encroached and their conservation and protection are not stalled. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board

Karnataka State Pollution Control Board

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is a legal entity entrusted for control of pollution in state of Karnataka in India. The board is established by relevant acts and laws applicable. The board works for control of air, water and envoirnmental pollution...

(KSPCB) informed the court that the proposal of Abhishek Builders and Mantri Developers to build an 18–floor luxury apartment block near the Sankey Tank has been turned down as gross violations were noted under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.