Lokayukta inspects Sankey Tank after residents flag falling water level

What happened

Why residents complained

Citizens' groups, including Kadu Malleshwara Geleyara Balaga and Voice of Sadashivanagar, reported several issues:

• Inlets to the lake are not constructed according to scientific or hydrological norms. Residents say these inlets are failing to bring rainwater into the lake.
• The water level in Sankey Tank has been depleting rapidly, which residents link to a fall in groundwater levels in neighbouring areas like Malleswaram and Sadashivanagar.
• Concretisation and other development works near the lake have reduced the lake's water spread and introduced sewage inflow, according to the civic groups.
• Raising the height of the lake bund by nearly two feet changed the relative levels between the lake and its feeder channel. Residents say the feeder channel now sits below the lake water level, reversing natural flow.

What residents say is happening mechanically

Residents describe a specific chain of changes they believe explains the decline in lake and groundwater health:

• The lake bund was raised by almost two feet.
• That change dropped the feeder channel below the lake's water level.
• As a result, polluted lake water can flow back into the feeder channel instead of fresh rainwater entering the lake.
• This reversal limits groundwater recharge for surrounding neighbourhoods and allows pollutants to spread into feeder channels.

Context and prior actions

The inspection follows a "Save Sankey Tank" campaign held in May, when residents and civic groups publicly warned that unscientific development works were affecting the lake's natural hydrology. Their complaints included concretisation of lake margins, sewage inflow, shrinking water spread, and engineering changes said to disrupt feeder channels.

What the inspection means now

The Lokayukta visit brought together law enforcement, municipal, and water board engineers along with resident representatives to examine the inlets and inflow connections on site. The article reports the inspection but does not list specific technical findings, prescriptions, or follow-up orders issued by the Lokayukta team.

Immediate implications for residents

If residents' observations about inflow reversal and reduced recharge are accurate, nearby groundwater levels could remain depressed and local water quality could worsen until inflow paths and levels are restored. The inspection signals official attention and creates a documented point of contact among civic groups, the Lokayukta, municipal engineers, and BWSSB.

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