This viral photo of a pothole-ridden road in Delhi is digitally manipulated
A graphic (here, here, and here) allegedly depicting poor road conditions in the National Capital, Delhi, has been making rounds on social media lately. It is being shared with comments criticizing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government saying that this road in Delhi is pothole-ridden just after a small rain (here and here). We fact-check this post photo through this article.
Claim: This photo shows a pothole-ridden road in Delhi after the December 2024 rains.
Fact: This is an edited photo. The original photo was captured on 30 September 2024 when the Chief Minister of Delhi, Atishi, along with the Public Works Department, inspected poor roads in Delhi. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we performed a reverse image search which led us to the original version of it uploaded on stock image websites like Getty Images and Alamy.
The description of this photo reads ‘NEW DELHI, INDIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Potholes seen over road near NSIC Complex as Atishi, Chief Minister of Delhi seen along with PWD officials inspects the condition of Outer Ring Road at Kalkaji on September 30, 2024 in New Delhi, India. Chief Minister inspected and identified damaged roads across the city and instructed official to ensure a pothole-free national capital by Diwali.’ The original photo was shot when the Chief Minister of Delhi, Atishi, and other concerned officials inspected the road conditions in Delhi.
However, the original photo did not contain as many potholes as seen in the viral photo, which makes it clear that this photo was digitally manipulated and edited to create the viral photo. You can find the differences in both these photos in the following collage.
Further, we also found a few news reports about the inspection conducted by Delhi CM Aitishi on 30 September 2024, which can be found here and here. As per these reports, she promised a ‘Pothole-free Capital by Diwali.’ This makes it clear that the photo was taken way before the December 2024 rains and in the context of road pothole inspection, which contradicts the viral claim.
Furthermore, we found a few more photos (here and here) from the same location shot on 30 September 2024 on Getty Images. Using these photos and the location details provided in the description of the photos as a clue, we geolocated the place where the original photo was taken. You can find this on Google Maps here.
To sum up, an edited photo of a road in Delhi is shared with a claim that it shows the poor condition of roads observed after the December 2024 rains.