Thirty-eight new cases of vomiting and diarrhea emerged on Monday in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, bringing the total number of hospitalized patients to 110. Six of the new patients were referred to Aurobindo Hospital from a primary health center.
Death Toll Reaches 17
The death toll from contaminated water reached 17 on Monday when Om Prakash Sharma, a 69-year-old retired policeman from Dhar, died. Sharma had visited Indore to meet his son and was admitted on January 1 with vomiting and diarrhea. His family said his kidneys failed due to the contaminated water.
A total of 421 patients have been admitted to hospitals since the outbreak began. Of these, 311 have been discharged. Fifteen patients remain in intensive care units, and three are on ventilators.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court will hear three petitions about the crisis on Tuesday. The government will submit a detailed report to the court. The High Court had expressed dissatisfaction with previous answers from the government and municipal corporation.
Indore Collector Shivam Verma told news agency ANI that teams from AIIMS Bhopal and ICMR are investigating how the epidemic spread. “The ring survey is going on continuously under the supervision of the administration in the area. Sample collection is being done continuously,” Verma said Tuesday morning during a visit to Bhagirathpura.
Door-to-Door Surveys Underway
Dr. Madhav Prasad Hasani, Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer, said 200 teams are conducting door-to-door surveys. “So far, about 14 thousand people have been contacted by surveying 2,745 households,” Hasani said. Five ambulances have been deployed in the affected area.
The municipal corporation has been supplying clean water through tankers. Water was delivered from 36 tankers on December 30, 34 on December 31, and 33 on January 1.
The government has taken action against officials. The state removed Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav and posted him as Deputy Secretary in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department. Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisonia and Executive Engineer Sanjeev Srivastava were suspended. The Zone-4 zonal officer and assistant engineer were also suspended.
Corporation Commissioner Kshitij Singhal inspected the affected area on Tuesday morning. He checked water supply operations and gave instructions to maintain quality standards.
The Congress party plans to hold candle marches in all 85 city wards to protest the deaths. Three petitions filed in the High Court seek free treatment for affected people and provision of pure drinking water.
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