Sewage contamination of drinking water has triggered anger and fear among residents of KSFC Layout in Lingarajapuram, under the North City Corporation limits, with concerns of an Indore-like public health
crisis. Around 30–40 households have been forced to rely on private water sources for more than a week.
Several residents said their family members had been falling ill repeatedly over the past few months, with some needing hospitalisation for suspected water-borne diseases.
According to residents of 3rd ‘B’ Main, they fear the situation could escalate into an Indore-like incident, and have urged the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board to urgently trace the source of contamination and restore a safe drinking water supply.
Residents told TOI that the issue went unnoticed for weeks, as the initial symptoms were mistaken for food poisoning or seasonal illnesses. The extent of the contamination became clear only this week, when foul-smelling, frothy water was observed and thick layers of dark sewage silt were found while cleaning underground sumps.
“When we opened the sump, it wasn’t just dirty water—it was stinking sewage sludge,” said resident Paul Newman. He said several families in the lane reported similar symptoms.
“My daughters fell ill, and we thought it was due to some other reason. Later, neighbours too complained of gastrointestinal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. That’s when we approached BWSSB,” he said.
Another resident, Shamala, said the contamination has worsened over time.
“Initially, dirty water would flow for a few minutes after we opened the tap, followed by clear water. Now, the water is extremely foul-smelling and discoloured. It is completely unusable, we didn’t want to take the risk. After suffering stomachache and diarrhoea, I began buying water from outside,” she said.
Following multiple complaints, BWSSB officials inspected the Lingarajapuram area on Friday and Saturday and confirmed that sewage had mixed with the drinking water pipeline at an unidentified point.
However, residents alleged that officials have yet to locate the exact breach and are digging at multiple spots in a trial-and-error attempt to trace the fault.
The contamination is believed to have affected more than 30 houses along a single lane, though residents fear the impact may be more widespread. Residents also said treating doctors confirmed that the illnesses were consistent with water contamination.
Anicita Rosario, another resident, said her family realised the problem only after repeated illnesses.
“The doctor confirmed it was a bacterial infection caused by water. My daughter was hospitalised, and then all three of us fell sick. We noticed a strange smell while bathing and washing dishes, and later saw discoloured water in the sump. That’s when we shut the main valve and cut off the water supply,” she said.
Six people have died and more than 200 were hospitalised in an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city.
