AI Summary
Key Takeaways
- Eight people died, and over 100 were hospitalized due to Bhagirathpura contaminated water mixing with the drinking supply.
- Officials discovered a leak allowing sewage to contaminate water and suspended three responsible workers.
- The government promised free treatment for affected individuals and financial aid for bereaved families.
- Hospitals faced overwhelming demand for treatment as medicine supplies ran out and patients were turned away.
Eight people have died and more than 100 others remain hospitalized after sewage-contaminated water entered the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura, a neighborhood in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The city holds the title of India’s cleanest urban center.
The victims include Nandlal Pal, 75, Urmila Yadav, 69, Uma Kori, 31, Manjula Pati Digambar, 74, and Seema Prajapat. All died after drinking the contaminated water over the past week. Dozens more suffered severe vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration.
Officials discovered a leak in the main water pipeline located directly beneath a toilet attached to a post office in Bhagirathpura. The leak allowed sewage to mix with the drinking water supply that served hundreds of homes.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav suspended two officials late Monday night. Zonal officer Shaligram Shitole and assistant engineer Yogesh Joshi both lost their positions. Deputy engineer Shubham Srivastava was dismissed from service entirely.
Govt Promises Free Treatment
“The entire cost of treatment of patients will be borne by the government,” Yadav wrote on social media. He announced financial assistance of 200,000 rupees to each bereaved family and formed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the incident.
Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya visited the affected area Tuesday and spoke with hospitalized patients. “More than 70 water samples have been taken from Bhagirathpura,” Vijayvargiya said. “All patients will be treated at the expense of the government. Those who have already deposited money for treatment will be refunded.”
Local residents say they complained about dirty water for months before the deaths occurred. Documents show the municipal corporation issued a tender in August 2024 for a new water pipeline costing 24 million rupees. The tender sat unopened until this week, after the deaths began.
“Complaints of dirty and contaminated water” appeared in the tender documents, but officials took no action. The corporation rushed to open the tender only after the public health crisis emerged.
Medicine Supplies Exhausted
Medical shop owners in Bhagirathpura reported unprecedented demand for medications. “Vomiting, diarrhea and fever medicines were sold in four days as much as they were not sold in a year,” one pharmacy operator said. Shops exhausted their stock and placed emergency orders.
Manish Pawar, a local resident, said his wife Priya was admitted to Verma Hospital on December 25. “Then 35,000 rupees came the cost of treatment,” Pawar said. “Now mother Subhadra has been admitted to Charak Hospital. My son is also sick.”
Jitendra Prajapat lost his sister Seema to the contaminated water. “His sister had complained of vomiting diarrhea at 4 am on Monday, after which she was taken to the hospital but died,” Prajapat said. His brother, mother, and daughter also fell ill.
Hospitals Overwhelmed
Dr. Abhay Verma, director of Verma Hospital, told Dainik Bhaskar that his facility admitted eight to ten patients daily for five consecutive days. The 30-bed hospital reached capacity with 25 patients. “There is no place to admit new patients,” Verma said. Ambulances began turning away sick residents.
The municipal corporation now supplies water to Bhagirathpura through 50 tankers while repair work continues. Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav ordered flushing, chlorination, and testing of the repaired pipeline. Water supply will resume only after lab results confirm safety.
Health workers went door-to-door distributing chlorine tablets, zinc supplements, and oral rehydration packets. They instructed residents to boil all drinking water immediately.
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava promised accountability. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible for the incident,” Bhargava said. He ordered an investigation into why pipeline replacement work faced seven-month delays despite known contamination issues.
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