ISLAMABAD: A water contamination tragedy in the Indian city of Indore has claimed at least 10 lives and left over 2,000 people ill, according to an Indian media report on Thursday.
A three-member probe committee formed by the Madhya Pradesh government will investigate why the tender for a new supply line in the Bhagirathpura area was not executed on time, forcing residents to depend on an ageing municipal pipeline that was later found to be contaminated by sewage leakage.
The probe comes even as an in-charge sub-engineer of the public health department was dismissed from service, and two other officials were suspended for lapses in maintaining a clean water supply.
Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dileep Yadav said the officials were responsible for the area but failed to detect leakages in time.
Cabinet Minister and Indore-1 MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya termed the incident “unfortunate” and said the number of patients admitted to healthcare facilities was increasing constantly. “It was increasing yesterday [Tuesday] but has reduced today,” he said.
When an Indian journalist asked Vijayvargiya about the situation, he got angry but later apologized.
Toilet drainage line
According to officials, a toilet drain line was found leaking directly over the main water supply line, contaminating the water supply, Indian media reported.
Multiple leakages were later identified and repaired only after residents began falling ill.
More than 100 people from Bhagirathpura have been admitted to hospitals in the past week, including infants and elderly residents.
The deceased include a six-month-old child and six women.
While authorities are yet to confirm the death toll officially, senior district officials said it has crossed 10.
Tender process accountability
The probe panel, headed by Indian Administrative Service officer Navjeevan Panwar, will also examine administrative delays and accountability in the tender process, Indian media reported on Thursday.
When questioned, the commissioner said the project was to be undertaken under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme. That work could not begin as funds were awaited.
Status report sought
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought a status report from the State government by Jan. 2 and directed that patients be provided free treatment after allegations that private hospitals were denying care without payment.
Fact-finding committee
The opposition Congress has also formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident, alleging administrative negligence and failure to act despite known infrastructure risks.
Water supply to the affected area remains suspended, with over 100 tankers deployed as authorities await test results before resuming distribution.
According to an Indian media report from July 2025, Indore was ranked the cleanest city for the eighth consecutive time under the “Super Swachh League” category in the government’s annual cleanliness survey.
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