Sankey tank

Sankey tank, a manmade lake or tank, is situated in the western part of Bangalore in the middle of the suburbs of Malleshwaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashiva Nagar. The lake covers an area of about 15ha. At its widest, the tank has a width of 800mSankey tank was constructed by Col. Richard Hieram Sankey 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.HistorySankey 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 1876–78. 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".ThreatsThe threats posed to the survival of the lake, which were also identified by the local people 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