A laboratory test has confirmed that contaminated drinking water caused a vomiting-diarrhoea outbreak in Indore, Madhya Pradesh’s commercial hub, leading to at least nine deaths and affecting over 1,400 people, officials said on Thursday.
The outbreak, which emerged in the Bhagirathpura area, has raised concerns over the safety of the city’s water supply, despite Indore’s reputation as India’s cleanest city for the past eight years.
Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani told reporters that a laboratory report prepared by a city-based medical college confirmed that drinking water was contaminated due to a leakage in a pipeline in the Bhagirathpura area, from where the outbreak has been reported, according to news agency PTI.
He did not share detailed findings of the test report.
Officials said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura at a spot over which a toilet had been constructed, and claimed that the leakage led to contamination of the water supply in the area.
According to Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey, authorities were closely examining the entire drinking water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura to determine if there were leakages elsewhere. He added that after inspection, clean water was supplied to households in Bhagirathpura through the pipeline on Thursday, though residents were advised to boil water before drinking as a precaution.
Dubey also said that water samples had been taken and sent for testing. Referring to the incident, he said that lessons drawn from the water tragedy in Bhagirathpura would lead to the issuance of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the entire state to prevent such incidents in the future.
Dubey visited Bhagirathpura to review the situation following instructions from Mohan Yadav. Authorities have intensified surveillance of the water supply system to prevent further outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government over the deaths. Reportedly, the locals had been complaining about the "supply of contaminated water for several days", but no action was taken by the authorities, the central rights body said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav described the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak as an "emergency-like situation" and assured strict action against those responsible.
Yadav visited various hospitals in the cleanest city to enquire about the condition of patients. He later reviewed the situation in a high-level meeting.
A health department official said a survey of 1,714 households in Bhagirathpura on Thursday examined 8,571 people, of whom 338 showing mild symptoms of vomiting-diarrhoea were given primary treatment at their homes.
The health department added that in the eight days since the outbreak began, 272 patients were admitted to local hospitals, of whom 71 have been discharged. At present, 201 patients are admitted to hospitals, including 32 in intensive care units (ICUs), the official said.
