Indore: In the narrow, congested lanes of Bhagirathpura, a working-class neighbourhood in Indore, Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital, grief hangs heavy—much like the foul stench that residents say once flowed from their taps.
At least 18 people have died here since late December 2025 after consuming contaminated drinking water, according to local records and family accounts, though the district administration has officially confirmed only ten deaths.
Families of the victims, most of them from low-income backgrounds, accuse civic officials of repeatedly ignoring complaints about sewage-laced water supplied through municipal pipelines.
“We kept begging Nagar Nigam officials to fix the water supply, but they ignored us until people started dying,” said Sudha Pal, daughter of Nanadlal Pal (75), who died after consuming contaminated water in Bhagirathpura. Speaking through tears, she said complaints were raised weeks before the outbreak.
This ground report—based on visits to more than a dozen affected households and interviews with survivors and relatives—reveals a grim picture of civic neglect in a city that has been ranked India’s cleanest for eight consecutive years. The crisis began in the last week of December 2025, when residents reported severe vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. Health officials later confirmed bacterial contamination, including sewage-borne pathogens such as E. coli and possibly cholera.
According to officials and residents, the contamination was caused by a leaking sewer line that allegedly seeped into the drinking water pipeline drawing water from the Narmada River, the primary source of drinking water for Indore’s nearly three million residents.
Mamta Yadav, 32, wife of a daily-wage labourer, lost her mother-in-law, Urmilabai Yadav, on December 29. Her father-in-law, Alguram, is still undergoing treatment with similar symptoms. Sitting inside her one-room house, Mamta recalled that the water had been brown and foul-smelling for weeks.
“We complained to the local water supply worker and an in-charge engineer of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in November and again in early December. They said the problem was temporary and promised to check, but no one came,” she said. “By the evening of December 28, my mother-in-law started vomiting severely. She died within hours. If they had listened, she would still be alive.”
Gourishankar Prajapati, 56, a labourer, lost his wife Seemabai (50) on December 29. “We complained for nearly six months about dirty, smelly water. Particles were visible in it. Officials told us to wait for clean water. Wait for what—death?” he asked. His relatives had gathered at his home for the twelfth-day ritual.
Prajapati acknowledged the intervention of local MLA and Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who visited the area, arranged hospitalisation for patients and provided financial assistance. “If he had not come on time, many more would have died,” he said.
“During the outbreak, Vijayvargiya remained present in the affected area for nearly 72 continuous hours, actively coordinating relief efforts, ensuring timely hospitalisation of patients and arranging adequate treatment facilities,” Prajapati added.
Taking serious note of the incident, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav—who also holds charge of Indore district—ordered disciplinary action against senior officials, including the suspension of Rohit Sisoniya, a 2017-batch IAS officer who was serving as Additional Commissioner of IMC and was responsible for water supply. IMC Commissioner Dilip Yadav, a 2014-batch IAS officer, was also removed.
Bhagirathpura, home to about 5,000 residents—mostly factory workers and street vendors—suffers from poor infrastructure. Old water pipelines run dangerously close to open drains, and residents say the problem worsened after heavy December rains damaged an underground sewer line.
The state government has provided compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the victims’ families and is bearing the medical expenses of patients still under treatment.
An IMC official said the affected pipelines had been sealed. Water tankers have been deployed to supply safe drinking water, and borewells repaired in the area.
Residents identified those who died in the outbreak as Hiralal, Urmilabai Yadav, Tara Rani Kori, Nanadlal Pal, Avyan Sahu, Arvind Likhar, Shravan, Seema Prajapati, Uma, Manjula, Gomati Rawat, Jeevan Lal Barde, Ashok Pawar, Santosh Bigoliya, Shankar Bhaya, Sumitra Bai and Ramkali.