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How Lucknow's Gomti River transformed from a bustling waterway to a flood threat.
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News18•06-10-2026, 11:51
How Lucknow's Gomti River transformed from a bustling waterway to a flood threat.
- •The water level of the Gomti River in Lucknow is flowing about eight feet above normal, submerging around 40,000 houses in Faizullaganj and surrounding areas.
- •Officials attribute the flooding to heavy rainfall in Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, and Lakhimpur Kheri between September 22 and 27.
- •During the Nawab era, the river was the city's lifeline with a wide bed of about 128 meters and extensive floodplains that naturally absorbed excess water.
- •Over the decades, construction of embankments, rapid urbanization, and massive encroachments on the floodplains severely restricted the river's natural path.
- •The Gomti Riverfront Project further shrank the riverbed by building strong diaphragm walls, drastically reducing the waterway and leaving no space for floodwaters to spread.
Key Questions Answered
Officials stated that heavy rainfall in Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, and Lakhimpur Kheri between September 22 and 27 caused water to reach Lucknow after 8 to 10 days, leading to floods that submerged 40,000 houses.
The Gomti Riverfront Project built strong diaphragm walls along an 8.1 km stretch, reducing the clear waterway from 250 meters to between 100 and 125 meters and shrinking the floodplain area from 450 meters to 240 meters.
In religious scriptures and ancient traditions, the Gomti River has been known by several historical names, including Dhenumati, Gomal, and Adiganga.
