City Pulse

Sankey tank is a manmade tank, situated in the western part of Bangalore in the middle of the suburbs of Malleshwaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashiva Nagar. The tank earlier was also known as Gandhadhakotikere, as the Government Sandalwood Depot used to be located near the lake.

Sankey tank was constructed by Col. Richard Hieram Sankey of the Madras Sappers Regiment, in 1882, to meet the water supply demands of Bangalore. Sankey reservoir was constructed in 1882 and the works cost Rupees 575000 by collecting rain water from an area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2). The water was said to be unsavoury and impure.The tank was later 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.