Stalled Contracts, Contamination: How 11 Died In Indore Water Tragedy

What was initially described as an "unfortunate contamination" in what is officially India's "cleanest city", now show every sign of negligence and administrative failure as sources and official confirmations indicate that the tragedy was preventable.

01 Jan 2026, 19:02 · www.ndtv.com

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Contaminated water in Indore's Bhagirathpura caused 11 deaths and affected 1,400 residents
A leak near the police outpost let sewage contaminate the drinking water, officials confirmed
A tender to replace the pipeline was floated in August 2025, but repairs were delayed until deaths occurred

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The contaminated drinking water in Indore's Bhagirathpura has now cost 11 lives and more than 1,400 residents have been affected. What was initially described as an "unfortunate contamination" in what is officially India's "cleanest city", now show every sign of negligence and administrative failure as sources and official confirmations indicate that the tragedy was preventable.

Investigators have traced the contamination to a leak in the main drinking water pipeline near a public toilet beside the Bhagirathpura police outpost. Officials suspect that sewage entered the drinking water line through this breach.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav confirmed that evidence of contamination due to leakage had been found and warned that such negligence would not be tolerated. Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also acknowledged that sewage mixing into drinking water was the likely cause, specifically pointing to the leak near the police outpost.

Health department reports have now confirmed this. Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Hasani said the water samples tested at MGM Medical College clearly established that the residents of Bhagirathpura fell ill and died after consuming contaminated water.

Sources said the tender for replacing the Bhagirathpura pipeline was floated as early as August 2025, at an estimated cost of Rs 2.4 crore, specifically citing complaints of dirty and foul-smelling water.

But no work began. No emergency repairs were carried out.

Only after people started dying was the tender hurriedly opened.
"This is not failure. This is abandonment," said a senior water department official on condition of anonymity.

Indore's Safe Water Schemes

Under the AMRUT 2.0 mission, Indore received water infrastructure projects worth approximately Rs 1,700 crore in 2023-24.

Contracts under Package-1 (Rs 579 crore) for an intake well, water treatment plant and pipeline have been awarded.

Three other packages, for gravity main and trunk lines, and distribution networks and overhead tanks, for a cumulative 1,200 crore are still in the tendering stage.

The Dark Underbelly

Sources within the Water Resources Department, however, admit that delays and weak monitoring have led to multiple sewage-drinking water intersections across the city, especially in older localities like Bhagirathpura.

Locals confirm that repeated complaints did not bring any action.
Preeti Sharma, a Bhagirathpura resident, said she complained repeatedly to the local councillor about foul-smelling water, but nothing was done.

Omprakash, another resident, showed samples of muddy, foul tap water from his house. "They kept fighting over contracts," he said, "Meanwhile, sewage kept flowing into our drinking water."

Human Rights Violation?

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports and issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

The Commission said if the reports are true, it constitutes a serious violation of the victims' human rights, particularly because complaints were allegedly ignored before the deaths.

A three-member probe committee has been formed. The investigation has been handed to the Additional Chief Secretary. Some lower-level officials have been suspended.

But the administration is still silent on key questions - like why the tender not opened and the leak repaired when complaints came and why the system responded only after the deaths started.

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