Indore Water Crisis: Seven Dead From Contamination

• Indore water contamination killed at least 7 after drainage leaked into water supply.
• 149 Diarrhea patients admitted; CM Yadav offers ₹2L to families, bears expenses.
• Probe launched; officials suspended amid cover-up claims, Congress alleges negligence.

Indore: Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava on Wednesday (December 31) confirmed that at least seven people have died after allegedly consuming contaminated drinking

water in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, triggering cases of diarrhoea and vomiting. His statement came amid conflicting claims over the actual number of fatalities linked to the outbreak. “The health department has reported three deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak in the Bhagirathpura area. However, to my knowledge, four more patients suffering from the disease were admitted to hospitals and they too passed away,” Bhargava told reporters. He said a preliminary assessment indicated that drainage water had entered the drinking water pipeline because of a leak, leading to the outbreak in Bhagirathpura. District Magistrate Shivam Verma separately confirmed that doctors had verified four deaths caused by diarrhoea linked to contaminated water.

Victims of Water Contamination
149 patients across the city suffering from the disease have been admitted to 27 different hospitals and their health condition is currently under observation, reported PTI.

Earlier reports suggested conflicting figures. Local residents claimed that around eight people, six of whom were women, had succumbed to illness in the past one week after consuming contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area.

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Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed deep grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased. He also assured patients undergoing treatment that the state government would bear their medical expenses. Investigation into the Outbreak A probe into the incident has been ordered, with a three-member committee headed by an IAS officer constituted to investigate the contamination of drinking water. Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav said a leak was found in the main water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura at a location where a toilet has been constructed, raising the possibility that the water supply was contaminated.

Meanwhile, State Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla alleged that the administration was underreporting the death toll to cover up what he described as “fatal negligence.” “This incident has put an ugly blot on the image of Indore as the country’s cleanest city, but the authorities are only indulging in a cosmetic exercise in the name of action,” he said.

An official confirmed that acting on the Chief Minister’s instructions, a zonal officer and an assistant engineer from Bhagirathpura have been suspended with immediate effect, while the services of an in-charge sub-engineer have been terminated.

(Written with agency inputs.)