Indore water contamination: Govt confirms 6 deaths, 203 hospitalisations

Indore: The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday confirmed that an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea — traced to contaminated drinking water — has resulted in six deaths and triggered widespread concern across Indore. A senior official said more than 200 people have been hospitalised.

“Right now, 203 patients are being treated in 41 hospitals across the city and six people have died,” Collector Shivam Verma told PTI Videos.

Of those admitted, 34 patients are in ICUs and are receiving close medical supervision.

On Friday, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had said he had received reports of 10 deaths linked to the outbreak, while residents of Bhagirathpura claimed that as many as 16 people — including a six-month-old baby — had died.

In response to the crisis, the state government transferred the Indore municipal commissioner and suspended two senior officials. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav has been “removed” (transferred), while additional commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and Public Health Engineering official Sanjeev Shrivastava have been suspended.

In a status report submitted to the High Court, the government stated that the diarrhoeal outbreak caused by contaminated water is now “under effective control,” with continuous, minute-to-minute monitoring underway to prevent any recurrence.

The contamination scare has led residents to avoid municipal tap water and turn instead to bottled supplies — an added financial burden, especially for low-income families. Meanwhile, authorities have begun awareness drives on safe water practices.

“An information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign is being run in Bhagirathpura with the help of NGO workers. They are advising people to boil water for 15 minutes before drinking and to rely only on the drinking water currently being supplied through municipal tankers,” District Magistrate Shivam Verma said.

He added that chlorination of pipelines and tube wells in the area is ongoing.

Experts note that adding chlorine or chlorine-based compounds to water is a proven method for destroying bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, helping prevent waterborne diseases.