3 Dead, Over 60 Fall Ill After Drinking Contaminated Water In 'Cleanest City' Indore

An elderly man died at a private hospital on Tuesday morning, while two other deaths are also being linked to the outbreak, though official confirmation is awaited.

Indore:

In the country's cleanest city, Indore, three people died and more than 60 people fell ill after consuming contaminated drinking water in the Bhagirathpura areaover the past week, triggering panic among residents and prompting an emergency response from the district administration and health authorities. 

Nandlal Pal, 70, had been admitted to Verma Hospital on December 28 after developing severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Doctors said he suffered a cardiac arrest early Tuesday morning. Family members and local residents claim his condition deteriorated after he consumed contaminated water supplied to the area.

According to hospital sources, five new patients were admitted to Verma Hospital on Tuesday alone, two of whom were later discharged. As of Tuesday evening, around 20 patients remained admitted at Verma Hospital, while several others were undergoing treatment at Triveni Hospital. In Bhagirathpura alone, nearly 150 residents have complained of symptoms such as vomiting, loose motions and abdominal pain over the last week.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav took immediate cognisance of the incident and issued directions to the administration to ensure medical care and investigate the source of contamination. Cabinet minister and local MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya visited the affected hospital on Monday night and met patients and their families. He announced that the government would bear the cost of treatment for all affected persons and that those who had already paid would be reimbursed.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the contamination may have occurred due to ongoing excavation work in and around the ward, leading to leakage into water pipelines, or due to polluted water in the overhead tank. The affected area receives its water supply from the Narmada River.

The Congress party staged a protest in front of the local ward office on Monday, alleging negligence by civic authorities and demanding accountability for the lapse.

Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav visited Bhagirathpura on Tuesday and later chaired a meeting with officials of the Public Health Engineering Department and the municipal corporation at the Smart City office to review the situation.

Residents said they had repeatedly complained to their corporator about foul-smelling and dirty water over the past few days, but claimed no corrective action was taken.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Rohit Sisonia told NDTV that municipal teams are inspecting water supply lines and chambers to identify leakages and the exact point of contamination. "A door-to-door survey of 1,138 houses has been conducted to identify any seriously ill patients. The situation is currently under control," he said.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Hasani said hospitals have been put on alert and are functioning round-the-clock. "Based on reports from private hospitals this morning, several people were found suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. About 60 patients have been admitted so far. There have been no deaths due to lack of treatment," he said.

Authorities said water samples have been collected for testing, and supply lines are being flushed and disinfected as a precautionary measure.

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