Water contamination kills 7: Crowned cleanest city 8 times, Indore now faces tap-water crisis
Contaminated drinking water has led to a severe outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, resulting in at least seven deaths and over 1,100 residents falling ill. Officials have acknowledged lapses, leading to the suspension of several municipal corporation employees. The incident has raised serious questions about civic oversight despite the city's 'cleanest city' reputation.
Contaminated drinking water has led to a severe outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, resulting in at least seven deaths and over 1,100 residents falling ill
INDORE: India’s cleanest city for the eighth time in a row, Indore is grappling with a severe civic crisis after contaminated drinking water triggered a diarrhoea and vomiting outbreak in the Bhagirathpura area, claiming at least seven lives and leaving more than 1,100 people ill.Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav said a leakage was detected in the main water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura, above which a toilet had been constructed, leading to possible contamination of drinking water.
Indore Headlines Today — The Biggest Updates You Need to Know.
According to IMC officials, waste from the toilet was channelled into a pit directly above the water line, and a loose joint in the pipeline may have allowed sewage to mix with potable water.Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava told news agency PTI that seven deaths had been reported within a week after residents of Bhagirathpura fell sick due to contaminated water. Officials said over the past week, more than 1,100 people were affected by the outbreak, with 111 requiring hospitalisation.Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday acknowledged lapses by officials in the incident and said action would be taken against those found responsible, irrespective of their rank.
Bhagirathpura falls under the Indore-1 assembly constituency, which Vijayvargiya represents as the minister for urban development and housing.Responding to questions on the incident, Vijayvargiya said, "I feel that a mistake has been committed, but it is better if we first ensure that all patients recover and create a positive environment rather than discuss this now." He asserted that no official involved would be spared, even if they held a very senior position.As part of the emergency response, four ambulances and dedicated medical teams were deployed in Bhagirathpura. Separate wards were set up at the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital and the private Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences.Private hospitals in the area were informed that the state government would bear the full cost of treatment for all patients.Chief minister Mohan Yadav, who visited hospitals in Indore and reviewed the situation in a high-level meeting, described the outbreak as an “emergency-like situation”.