Indore’s Water Crisis Persists: 20 Fresh Diarrhoea Cases Emerge as 142 Remain Hospitalised
Indore — In the ongoing diarrhoea outbreak linked to contaminated drinking water in Indore, 142 patients are currently receiving hospital treatment, with 11 in intensive care units. Health officials reported detecting 20 new cases during a screening of more than 9,000 residents in the affected Bhagirathpura locality.
Medical teams surveyed 9,416 people from 2,354 households in Bhagirathpura, the epicentre of the crisis where six deaths have been officially confirmed due to the contamination. A total of 398 individuals have been admitted since the outbreak began, with 256 discharged after recovery, authorities said on Sunday.
Officials described the situation as under control. A team from the Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI), under the Indian Council of Medical Research, has reached Indore to assist the health department in managing the crisis.
Discrepancies persist in the death toll: the administration confirms six fatalities, while Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava has cited ten, and local residents claim 16, including a six-month-old infant.
The crisis has sparked political backlash. The Congress organised bell-ringing protests statewide, calling for the resignation of senior Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya after his use of the word “ghanta” in response to media queries on the issue. The party demands a judicial probe and culpable homicide charges against the mayor and civic officials.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged residents complained for eight months about tainted tap water without action, and claimed tanker supplies remain contaminated. He warned of agitation if demands are unmet.
In a related development, a sub-divisional magistrate in neighbouring Dewas was suspended for incorporating Congress allegations and references to Vijayvargiya’s remark in an official order.
Water conservationist Rajendra Singh, known as the “Waterman of India,” called the incident a “system-created disaster” stemming from corruption, noting irony in its occurrence in India’s cleanest city. He criticised the proximity of water and drainage lines and dependence on distant Narmada River supply.
Officials attributed the contamination to sewage overflow into water mains. Indore sources water from the Narmada, piped 80 km away, at significant cost.