Indore water contamination: 142 hospitalised, 20 new diarrhoea cases detected

At least 142 people , including 11 in intensive care, are currently hospitalized amid a diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water in Indore, officials said on Sunday.

During screening of 9,416 residents from 2,354 households in Bhagirathpura, the epicentre of the outbreak, health teams identified 20 new cases . The area has already reported six confirmed deaths , while local residents claimed the toll could be 16 , including a six-month-old child.

A total of 398 patients have been admitted to hospitals since the outbreak began, of whom 256 have recovered and been discharged . Authorities said the situation is currently under control.

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.

Officials confirmed that the outbreak was caused by sewage overflow from toilets contaminating municipal drinking water pipelines . Renowned water conservationist Rajendra Singh said the contamination worsened because contractors had laid water pipelines too close to drainage lines , coupled with poor maintenance and corruption . The faulty infrastructure, he said, turned the crisis into a “system-created disaster.”

The outbreak has also sparked a political row . Congress staged bell-ringing protests across Madhya Pradesh demanding the resignation of senior minister Kailash Vijayvargiya , who represents Indore-1, the constituency that includes Bhagirathpura. Vijayvargiya had used the word “ghanta” while responding to questions about the crisis, which the Congress called insensitive.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari demanded a judicial probe into the deaths and called for culpable homicide cases against Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava and civic officials. He alleged residents had been complaining for eight months about contaminated tap water, and even water supplied through tankers was unsafe. Patwari warned of a statewide agitation on January 11 if demands were not met.

Meanwhile, a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Dewas was suspended for allegedly copying portions of a Congress memorandum in an official order related to protest law and order, citing negligence and indifference.

Singh warned that if such a crisis can occur in Indore, India’s cleanest city , drinking water systems in other cities could be at even greater risk. He also expressed concern over the declining groundwater levels , highlighting the long-term vulnerability of the city’s water supply.