ISLAMABAD: Potholes claimed 9,438 lives across India between 2020 and 2024, according to government data presented in Parliament.
Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 5,127 of these fatalities, more than half of all pothole-related deaths recorded during the five-year period, Indianmedia reported.
In contrast, more than half a dozen states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa and Chandigarh, reported zero road crashes, injuries or deaths under the pothole category, raising questions about data recording practices.
Over 53% increase
In a detailed response to the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the road transport ministry said fatalities due to pothole-related crashes have steadily increased from 1,555 in 2020, the Covid-19 year, to 2,385 in 2024, marking a rise of over 53%.
The accident data for 2025 has not yet been published.
According to the figures, Madhya Pradesh recorded the second-highest number of pothole-related deaths at 969 during the period, followed by Tamil Nadu (612), Odisha (425), Punjab (414) and Assam (395).
50 deaths in Delhi
Among Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number of such fatalities at 50.
“It’s surprising that while states like Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura have registered accidents and deaths due to potholes, there was not a single accident due to such road conditions in bigger states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar that have longer road networks,” an expert involved in crash data investigation said, according to the Indian media report.
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