Indore Fatal Water Contamination Sparks Fear, Forces Shift to Bottled Supplies
Indore, Madhya Pradesh – A severe water contamination incident in Indore, long celebrated as India’s cleanest city, has eroded public confidence in the municipal water supply, prompting many residents to switch to costly bottled water and straining household budgets, particularly for lower- and middle-income families.
Authorities have confirmed that contaminated drinking water caused at least six deaths and hospitalized more than 200 people due to vomiting and diarrhoea in the Bhagirathpura area. However, the exact death toll is contested, with estimates varying from 10 to as high as 16.
Local resident Sunita from Marathi Mohalla told news agency PTI that fear now prevents people from drinking tap water without assurance of its safety. “We are purchasing water jars from the market at ₹20 to ₹30 each,” she said, noting that complaints about discoloured water over the past two to three years had been ignored. Residents have resorted to treating water with alum and boiling it for years.
The distrust extends to street vendors, with tea seller Tushar Verma stating that he now uses bottled water for brewing to maintain customer confidence, without raising prices.
In response, the district administration has launched an information, education, and communication campaign in Bhagirathpura, deploying NGO workers to advise boiling water for at least 15 minutes and relying on tanker-supplied drinking water. Pipelines and tube wells in the affected zone are undergoing chlorination, a method health experts describe as highly effective against water-borne pathogens.
Indore sources its water from the Narmada River via pipelines from Jalud in Khargone district, about 80 km away, delivering supplies to homes on alternate days.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has ordered the transfer of municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav, along with the suspension of additional municipal commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and Public Health Engineering department in-charge superintendent engineer Sanjeev Shrivastava.
A state government report to the High Court states that the outbreak is now under control, with ongoing monitoring to avert any recurrence. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had previously linked 10 deaths to the incident, while locals report up to 16 fatalities, including a six-month-old infant.