Gomti floods Rashtra Prerna Sthal, puts riverside planning under scrutiny

Lucknow's swelling Gomti has submerged the recently built Rashtra Prerna Sthal, raising questions over the city's riverside development and preparedness for floods.

The Rs 230-crore project, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 December 2025, houses 65-foot bronze statues of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. It also has a large lotus-shaped museum.

The complex first faced waterlogging after heavy rain on 27 September, raising questions about its drainage. It is now under water following the rise in the Gomti. The park and museum at Rashtra Prerna Sthal, along with the riverfront's garden track, seating areas and parks, have been inundated.

The Lucknow Development Authority has suspended ticket bookings and entry to the site as a precaution. Flooding has also affected Hanumat Dham, the Lete Hanumanji temple, a cricket academy at Gulala Ghat and villages around Bakshi Ka Talab and Faizullaganj. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspected BKT and adjoining villages on Monday.

Flood reaches areas beyond riverbank

The flooding has spread from Faizullaganj to Bakshi Ka Talab and Itaunja, with more than 200 houses reportedly submerged in Faizullaganj, BKT and surrounding areas. Residents are relying on boats for movement and facing shortages of drinking water and medicines.

The Gomti's water level continued rising in Lucknow for several days after the rain stopped. The Irrigation Department has attributed this partly to delayed arrival of rainwater from upper catchment areas in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri and elsewhere.

Rakesh Mathur, who studies rivers and floods, questioned whether Lucknow's flood management planning adequately considers the Gomti's entire catchment.

“When you know that the Gomti brings water from a large catchment, should Lucknow's flood management plan not have been prepared by taking the entire river basin into account?” he asked.

This year's flooding has also reached areas that are not immediately along the river and have traditionally been considered relatively safe from flooding. The inundation of Rashtra Prerna Sthal has consequently become a prominent example in the debate over riverside development.

Experts are questioning whether authorities assessed the site's highest flood level before constructing the permanent complex and considered its safety against extreme floods over a 100-year period.

Floodplain demarcation under scrutiny

The issue is particularly significant because the scientific demarcation of the Gomti's floodplain has been disputed and is also subject to judicial proceedings.

Reports in July 2026 said an NGT case concerning the demarcation of the Gomti floodplain had been pending since 2023. The tribunal has directed that construction in violation of applicable rules should not take place in the river area.

Environmental and river experts have argued that while floods cannot always be prevented, construction in areas vulnerable to flooding can be avoided. The submergence of a major public project, they say, raises questions about an approach that treats riverside land primarily as available space for development rather than accounting for the river's natural behaviour.

Meanwhile, Adityanath on Monday directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for embankments along the Gomti from Faizullaganj to Naimish. He also asked them to identify possible locations for pumping stations to drain water from flood-affected areas.

The measures have prompted a broader question: if embankments, pumping stations and flood protection are now considered necessary, why was a comprehensive plan not prepared earlier despite the known flood risks?