Water contamination in Indore: HC asks admin to preserve original records

Indore: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Indore administration to preserve original records linked to the contaminated drinking water crisis in Bhagirathpura, including a pipeline tender and investigation documents of the State Pollution Control Board.

A bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi passed the order on Tuesday while hearing multiple public interest litigations (PILs) concerning deaths allegedly caused by contaminated water in the locality.

“It is directed that the Collector, Indore, and the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, shall ensure that the relevant records relating to the subject matter of the petition, including the record of the tender for laying a drinking water line in Bhagirathpura and the sample report, etc, are kept in safe custody,” the court said. The direction came after petitioners’ counsel raised concerns that original documents could be tampered with. The court also asked the state government to continue complying with its interim orders dated January 6 and to file another progress report. Earlier, the HC had ordered free medical treatment for diarrhoea patients, supply of safe drinking water, prevention of use of contaminated sources, stronger water testing and disinfection, upgrades to water infrastructure, and a long-term water security plan. The matter will be heard next on January 27, when Chief Secretary Anurag Jain has been asked to appear online. Jain attended Tuesday’s hearing, as well as the previous two, through video link.

Government lawyers informed the court that a high-level committee has been formed to identify the contamination cause, fix accountability, and suggest preventive measures. Petitioners, however, alleged it was “an eyewash” and claimed interim directions were not being properly implemented, which the state denied. As per residents, 25 people have died since December due to vomiting and diarrhoea, while the government’s January 15 status report mentions seven deaths. A death audit by MGM Medical College indicated 15 deaths could be linked to the issue.

Officials said contaminated water was detected in 51 tubewells, with tests finding E coli bacteria. The contamination, they added, resulted from sewage from a toilet mixing with piped drinking water.