Amid Indore water contamination deaths, over 200 birds, including parrots and doves, were found dead in Khargone due to poisoning
Birds found dead near Navghat Khedi
Mass bird deaths were reported from Barwaha forest division area near Navghat Khedi. According to authorities, the incident developed rapidly over two days.
Wildlife warden Tony Sharma told media persons for the first time on Monday that around 25 parrots were spotted dead under the aqueduct bridge. The number rose to almost 80 by evening and crossed 200 on Tuesday. In addition to parrots, many dead pigeons, diamond doves and sparrows were also found dead in the same area.
Also Read: Reason for contamination of Indore water: How did the deadly epidemic begin as a result of toilet sewage mixing with the drinking water line?
Sharma said samples of the dead parrots were collected and sent to veterinary doctors for examination, and the local ranger was alerted immediately after the discovery.
What did the postmortem findings reveal?
Veterinarian Dr. Manisha Chauhan told TOI that post-mortem examinations found rice and small stones in the intestines of the parrots, which caused serious damage to the digestive system.
He said the blockage caused both the intestines and the liver to turn completely red. Based on these observations, he and senior veterinary doctor Dr Suresh Baghel gave a preliminary opinion that the cause of death was food poisoning. Dr Chauhan added that deaths of pigeons, diamondback pigeons and sparrows have also been reported and post-mortem examinations will be conducted on Wednesday. He ruled out the possibility that the cause of the deaths was cold or any disease.
Conspiracy angle not ignored
Forest ranger Nishant Doshi told TOI that he was informed about the incident and was waiting for the official post-mortem report before taking further action.
Wildlife manager Tony Sharma also raised the possibility of foul play, saying parrots frequently damage orchards and deliberate poisoning cannot be ruled out at this stage.
Indo water pollution
The bird deaths come amid a major public health crisis in Indore, where contaminated drinking water has triggered a massive diarrhea epidemic.
A health ministry official said that 8,571 people were examined in the survey conducted in 1,714 households in Bhagirathpura. Of these, 338 people with mild vomiting and diarrhea symptoms were treated at home.
272 patients were admitted to hospitals in the last eight days. While 71 people have been discharged, treatment of 201 patients continues, 32 of whom are in intensive care.
Lab test confirms contaminated water
Lab tests confirmed that the diarrhea outbreak that killed at least four people and affected more than 1,400 was caused by contaminated drinking water, officials said.
Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani told reporters that a city-based medical college had confirmed contamination due to a leak in a pipeline in Bhagirathpura, the epicenter of the outbreak. He did not share the details of the report.
Authorities said the leak was located near a police station, where toilets were built over the main drinking water pipeline, leading to contamination.
Government response and preventive steps
“We are closely examining the entire drinking water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura to find out if there is any leakage elsewhere,” Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey told PTI.
He said clean water supply was restored on Thursday, but residents were advised to boil water before drinking as a precaution.
“So we took samples of this water and sent them for testing,” Dubey said.
Dubey also announced that the state government will issue a standard operating procedure for Madhya Pradesh to prevent similar incidents in future. On the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, he visited Bhagirathpura to review the situation.
(Inputs from PTI and TOI)
