Indore water contamination: 142 patients hospitalised, 20 fresh diarrhoea cases detected

Indore: A total of 142 people, including 11 in intensive care units, are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals in Indore following a diarrhoea outbreak linked to contaminated drinking water, officials said on Sunday.

The health department detected 20 new cases during screening of more than 9,000 residents in Bhagirathpura, the area most affected by the outbreak. Health teams examined 9,416 people from 2,354 households as part of an ongoing door-to-door survey, officials said.

So far, 398 patients have been admitted to hospitals since the outbreak began. Of these, 256 have recovered and been discharged. Officials said the situation is now under control.

The administration has confirmed six deaths linked to the consumption of contaminated water. However, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava has earlier stated that 10 people had died, while local residents have claimed the toll is as high as 16, including a six-month-old child.

Also read: Nearly 100 suspected typhoid cases in Gandhinagar, Amit Shah orders urgent action

Chief medical and health officer Dr Madhav Prasad Haasani said a team from the Kolkata-based National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) has arrived in Indore to investigate the outbreak and provide technical support to contain it.

The issue has triggered political reactions, with the Congress holding bell-ringing protests across Madhya Pradesh demanding the resignation of senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. The protests followed Vijayvargiya’s controversial remark on December 31, when he used the word “ghanta” while responding to reporters’ questions about the crisis.

The Congress has demanded a judicial inquiry into the deaths and sought the removal of Vijayvargiya, who holds the Urban Development and Housing portfolios and represents the Indore-1 constituency that includes Bhagirathpura. State Congress president Jitu Patwari warned of a statewide agitation on January 11 if corrective measures are not taken.

Patwari also demanded the registration of a culpable homicide case against mayor Bhargava and concerned civic officials, alleging that residents had been complaining about contaminated water supply for the past eight months without any action. He further claimed that water currently supplied through municipal tankers in the area was also contaminated.

Meanwhile, a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in neighbouring Dewas district was suspended on Sunday for alleged negligence after an official order issued by him reproduced portions of a Congress memorandum related to the controversy. Ujjain division revenue commissioner Ashish Singh said the SDM’s action amounted to serious irregularities in the discharge of official duties.

Renowned water conservationist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh described the deaths as a “system-created disaster” and blamed corruption in water supply infrastructure. He expressed concern that such an incident had occurred in Indore, which has repeatedly been ranked as the country’s cleanest city.

Officials acknowledged that sewage had entered drinking water pipelines due to leakages, leading to severe cases of vomiting and diarrhoea in the affected areas.

(with inputs from agencies)