Roads turned into pools, footpaths vanished under water and rainwater crept towards homes as heavy rain battered the state capital on Tuesday, once again exposing the civic shortcomings of a city billed as a Smart City. Across Lucknow, from VIP stretches in Gomti Nagar to residential pockets in Indira Nagar and Jankipuram Extension, waterlogging disrupted movement, while a road cave-in in Chinhat added to the monsoon woes.
The collapse created an opening nearly six feet wide and around 18 feet deep, posing a safety risk to motorists and pedestrians. Key stretches under water One of the worst-affected stretches was the road leading towards G-20 Road from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) headquarters in Gomti Nagar. In Indira Nagar, rainwater entered a house in Sector 20 after accumulating along the adjoining service lane.
Residents in Dalibagh and Jopling Road reported that rainwater reached their homes during the intense spell. Because of the continuing rainfall, the agency could not immediately repair the damaged stretch. Several important and VIP roads were submerged during the downpour, affecting vehicular movement and making it difficult for commuters to navigate the affected stretches. In several localities, rainwater accumulated outside homes and entered residential premises, disrupting normal life. Road cave-in near Chinhat crossing A major infrastructure incident occurred near Rolex Apartment in Chinhat, where a portion of the road caved in around a sewer chamber during the rainfall. The cave-in came as heavy rain simultaneously inundated several parts of the city. A video circulating on social media purportedly showed substantial water accumulation behind the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) headquarters in Lalbagh. Rainwater covered the road and rose to such a level that the footpath and pedestrian ramp became almost invisible, causing problems for commuters. Commuters also faced severe difficulties in Sector B of the LDA Colony under the Kanpur Road scheme, where water accumulation made it difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to move through the area during the peak of the rainfall. Vibhuti Khand near Railway Station Road and the road leading towards the Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench also witnessed heavy waterlogging, while Jankipuram Extension again emerged as a major hotspot. Similar conditions were witnessed on Lekhraj Marg in Block A of Indira Nagar, where the entire road was inundated, making it difficult for commuters to identify the road surface. Meanwhile, a tree also fell near IT Crossing during the rain, disrupting traffic from Nishatganj towards Daliganj. LMC workers began cutting and removing it to clear the route.
Jalkal executive engineer Om Prakash said a private agency carrying out sewer-related work in the locality would undertake the repair. “The actual cause would be known only after work began and the affected portion was excavated,” he said. Officials said workers would excavate the affected portion once the rain stopped, inspect the sewer network and ascertain the cause before carrying out restoration work. Sources within the LMC said the water level came within around two inches of entering the civic body’s premises. Residents said the repeated flooding reflected a wider civic problem rather than an isolated incident. Roop Kumar Sharma, a resident of Vivek Khand, said the waterlogging outside the LMC headquarters itself showed the seriousness of the situation. “If the civic body’s own headquarters faces such waterlogging, the situation in the rest of the city is a matter of serious concern,” he said. Pooja Singh, who lives abroad and had returned to Lucknow with her six-year-old child, said her family had been removing water with buckets for nearly five hours after receiving no assistance despite registering a complaint. She also said a snake entered the premises with the floodwater.
