Sankey tank (

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

:ಸ್ಯಾಂಕಿ ಕೆರೆ), a manmade

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

, is situated in the western part of

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

in the middle of the neighbourhoods of

Malleshwaram Malleshwara (also referred as Malleshwaram) is a northwest neighborhood and one of the zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in Bengaluru, India. It was planned in 1889 after the great plague of 1898, developed as a suburb in 1892 and h ...

Vyalikaval Vyalikaval is a locality in Bangalore City. It is surrounded by Palace Orchards, Guttahalli, Kodandarampura, Palace Guttahalli, and Sankey road cross localities. Malleshwaram railway station is 2 km from Vyalikaval. It is 30 km from B ...

and

Sadashivanagar Sadashivanagara (Kannada: ಸದಾಶಿವನಗರ) is an affluent residential neighbourhood in Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. The neighbourhood houses plush homes and mansions of several famous celebrities, businessmen and poli ...

. The lake covers an area of about . At its widest, the tank has a width of . Sankey tank was constructed by Col.

Richard Hieram Sankey Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Hieram Sankey (22 March 1829 – 11 November 1908) was an officer in the Royal (Madras) Engineers in the East India Company's army in British India, later transferring to the British Army after the Indian Rebellio ...

( RE) of the Madras Sappers Regiment, in 1882, to meet the water supply demands of Bangalore. 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. 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 1876–78 Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. The quality of water was not very good and when Governor of Madras visited

on July 1888. A local wit commented, "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 Ducks coming out of their nest

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 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 Lok Adalat is a Statutory Organization under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and was created as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism used in India to resolve disputes/grievances outside courts. It is a forum where cases pending ...

ordered the Forest Department to repossess 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 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 (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.

History

Threats

Restoration actions

Legal land encroachment tangle

See also

References

Further reading