Sewage in drinking water blamed for deaths of at least 10 people in India’s ‘cleanest city’ | India
Sewage-contaminated drinking water in Indore, which has been named India’s “cleanest city” for the past eight years, has been blamed for killing at least 10 people, including a baby boy, and sending more than 270 people to hospital.
Residents of a cramped, low-income neighborhood in Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, had been warning authorities about foul-smelling tap water for months. Their complaints went unheeded, despite the city’s much-lauded ranking for waste segregation and other cleanliness measures.
“I have received information that 10 people have died due to a diarrhea outbreak caused by contaminated water in Bhagirathpura district,” Indore mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said. He added that sewage mixes with “the main line coming out of the water tank.”
Local media reported that the death toll had risen to 15, but there was no official confirmation. At least 32 patients remain in intensive care units. Apart from those hospitalized, state chief minister Mohan Yadav said door-to-door medical teams identified 2,456 “suspicious patients” and were given first aid “on the spot”.
Authorities say a public toilet built over a drinking water pipeline allowed sewage to seep into the water supply. The toilet was built without a septic tank.
Residents of the region began flocking to hospitals earlier this week complaining of vomiting, diarrhea and high fever.
A medical official said water tests “confirmed the presence of abnormal bacteria commonly found in sewage water from human waste.”
Residents said their water-related complaints had become a bureaucratic labyrinth.
“Prima facie, this case falls under gross dereliction of duty,” said Indore municipal councilor Kamal Waghela. As part of the investigation, many municipal officials were suspended from duty.
His father, Sunil Sahu, told reporters that the five-month-old baby who died was bottle-fed with tap water. “No one told us that the water was dirty. We filtered it. The same water was flowing everywhere in the neighborhood. No warning was made,” he said.
A Hindi-language editorial called for “better enforcement of water guidelines and other environmental laws at all levels.” Noting that toxic air pollution covering many cities is already “damaging the health of citizens”, the newspaper said that what happened in Madhya Pradesh should be “a wake-up call for India’s water management”.
Opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the state government led by the Bharatiya Janata party of negligence and said “clean water is not a favor but a right to life”.
The government said new rules will be framed to prevent similar incidents. “No stone will be left unturned to ensure this does not happen again,” Yadav said.
The Indore crisis comes at a time of broader concerns about water security across the country. The Times of India reported that only 8% of public water testing laboratories run by the Delhi government are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, which certifies that facilities meet international quality control standards. 59% of public laboratories nationwide are now accredited.
Experts warn that disruptions in water testing are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks as India’s urban population grows rapidly.
