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Monsoon mayhem: Prayagraj streets turn into rivers after hours of rain
Despite significant drops in water levels of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers on Friday, flood-like conditions prevailed across the city due to the rain.
As the monsoon season nears its end, a heavy downpour on Friday brought widespread disruption to Prayagraj. Within just a few hours of morning rain, vast stretches of the city—from low-lying Kachhar areas to elevated Uparhar zones—were submerged. Even elevated roads, such as the one near Gate No 3 of Azad Park, saw knee-deep water, forcing people to wade through it in front of the Allahabad University campus.
Rain began around 7 am and continued until 1 pm, falling relentlessly. By 10 am, as office-goers ventured out, the full extent of the waterlogging crisis was evident. Jawaharlal Nehru Road near Parvati Hospital was inundated, while Balson Chauraha was completely flooded. People were seen pushing their vehicles for up to half a kilometer and spending 10–15 minutes trying to restart them.
In George Town, where waterlogging is common, Friday’s flooding reached unprecedented levels. The road behind Sangam Petrol Pump, stretching from the police station to Azad Park, was submerged. Gopal Sahu, a shopkeeper using that street for the past 35 years, said he had never seen water accumulate there before. By 5 pm, the water had still not receded, despite pumping equipment being present—though it appeared the pumps were either non-functional or inadequate.
While rising levels of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers usually cause concern in Prayagraj, this time, it was the rain-induced urban flooding that brought the city to a standstill. Social media was flooded with viral videos showing the extent of the inundation. One video by Suryamani Dubey captured waterlogging near SRN Hospital and the road leading to North Malaka and MLN Medical College. Residents in Allapur posted videos likening the situation to an actual flood, urging others to share visuals from their neighborhoods.
Several areas—Baghambari Road, Tilak Nagar, Amitabh Bachchan Road, Labour Crossing, Matiyara Chauraha, Neta Chauraha, and Loha Park—reported waist-deep water in parts. Videos from the premises of the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation also circulated, showing water accumulation at the entrance gate.
After the rain, nearly every neighborhood reported water entering homes. Areas that routinely face waterlogging—such as Allapur, Alopibagh, Tularambagh, Madhwapur, Bairahana, Kidganj, George Town, Tagore Town, and South Malaka—were hit hard. However, this time, the flooding also reached typically dry areas like Katra, Mumfordganj, Civil Lines, Meerapur, and Jhalwa. Choked drains caused backflow into homes and courtyards. Frustrated residents voiced their anger at the administration. One such post came from union leader Kripa Shankar Srivastava, who shared a video with the caption: “Development has reached my home.”
Water levels fall in rivers
Despite significant drops in water levels of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers on Friday, flood-like conditions prevailed across the city due to the rain. At 8 am in Phaphamau, the Ganga had fallen by 173 cm in 24 hours, while the Yamuna dropped by 108 cm in Naini. Though residents of riverbank areas felt some relief, urban neighborhoods suffered as rainwater backed up into homes through clogged drains. In Mumfordganj, three drainage pumps were non-functional, with the control room itself submerged, leaving no way to pump water out.
Although river levels had fallen, the Ganga remained above 80 metres, which kept the sluice gates closed. In such conditions, pumping stations are the only way to drain rainwater from the city. However, Friday’s downpour overwhelmed these systems. Eventually, the municipal corporation and district administration deployed a hydra crane to manually open a section of the sluice gate, allowing water to finally drain. Locals said that had this step not been taken, water could have entered the first floors of many homes.
Following the widespread flooding, questions were raised about the effectiveness of pre-monsoon drain-cleaning efforts. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma has asked the municipal corporation to submit a comprehensive report and called a review meeting to assess how many drains were cleaned and why the situation deteriorated despite those efforts.
