With rivers still running high across western Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took to the skies on Monday, 5 October 2026, conducting an aerial survey of flood-hit districts Lucknow and Sitapur — then descended to the ground to meet affected families face-to-face in Bakshi Ka Talab tehsil.

The Chief Minister distributed relief materials directly to flood-affected residents during the visit. In his post, he wrote: 'Aapda ki ghadi mein @UPGovt pratyek prabhavit parivar ko har prakar se sahyog karne ke liye poori tatparta ke saath khadi hai.' ('In this hour of disaster, the UP Government stands fully ready to support every affected family in every possible way. Your safety is our commitment.')

Bakshi Ka Talab: where the CM met the flood-hit

Bakshi Ka Talab, a tehsil on Lucknow's northern fringe, has been among the areas worst affected by the seasonal inundation that has breached low-lying settlements along the Sharda and Ghaghra river systems. CM Yogi's ground visit — involving direct interaction with displaced and affected families — was designed to signal administrative presence beyond the command room.

Aerial surveys are a standard first-response tool in large-scale flood management: they allow state leadership to rapidly map the spread of inundation, identify unreached pockets, and direct relief columns in real time. The four photographs attached to the post show the Chief Minister at the survey and during the distribution of relief supplies.

UP Government's flood-relief posture

The Uttar Pradesh government has in recent years built a structured flood-response apparatus, deploying State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams alongside local administration during the monsoon season. Relief typically includes dry ration kits, medicines, drinking water, and temporary shelter support for families displaced by rising waters.

Lucknow and Sitapur districts sit in the Tarai belt, a low-lying zone that drains water from the foothills of the Himalayas and is perennially vulnerable during peak monsoon and post-monsoon weeks. October floods in this belt are often triggered by delayed monsoon withdrawal and heavy upstream rainfall in Nepal and the Himalayan catchment areas.

By putting himself visibly at both the aerial survey and the ground-level relief distribution in a single day, CM Yogi sent a clear administrative message: the state machinery is not waiting for the situation to stabilise — it is moving while the water is still high.