Two similar images are being widely shared on social media. One image shows a muddy street filled with potholes, while the second image shows the same image but with a smooth road.
The image is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows the road condition of Andhra Pradesh’s Markapuram, which was later repaired.
A social media user shared the images with a caption that reads, “This Markapuram road looks like a plate. Look how smoothly they’ve made the road. This is the change we were hoping for, sir.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The first image is from Uttar Pradesh and the second image is its AI version.
First image
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same image was shared by Amar Ujala on August 7.
The first image was shared with a report suggesting that it is of Madarpur (Khalilabad), Uttar Pradesh, where clogged drains, dirt and standing water are fuelling a severe mosquito problem; stagnant sewer water also spills onto roads, worsening conditions.
A video of the road was also shared by Dainik Bhaskar, suggesting that it was of Madarpur village in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the report, in Madarpur (Dhusura village, Semariyawan block, Sant Kabir Nagar), sanitation has failed. Blocked, unclean drains along main roads haven’t been cleaned or sprayed in five years, causing mosquitoes to breed. A complaint has also been submitted to the Block Development Officer (BDO); officials say they’re now looking into it.
On observing the second image, we can see that the roads are smooth and the water in the gutter is clean.
However, on close observation, we can see that the wall in the second image has been polished to an impossible scale. While in the first image, it is the opposite. The same is the case with the pile of bricks and pipes on the left side.
This hinted that the second image might be manipulated by AI.
We also found that a user had commented on the differences between the two images, suggesting that the second image is AI-generated.
The user commented sarcastically, “What is the pillar at the end? It was close in the first pic, and it was far away in the second pic. Those who laid the road washed the door curtains neatly. Poor thing, as soon as the people of that house requested, they even installed a window in the house.”
To confirm further, we searched for the second image online were not able to find its source. Then we analysed the second image using the AI tool, Sight Engine, and found that it was AI-manipulated.
Hence, we can ascertain that the first image of potholes is of Uttar Pradesh and the ‘repaired road’ is AI-manipulated.
