At least five persons have died and more than 1,000 fallen ill allegedly after consuming contaminated water supplied through a government pipeline at a locality in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, officials said on Tuesday (December 30, 2025).
According to the officials, several residents of the Bhagirathpura area have been admitted to various hospitals since December 24 after complaints of vomiting and diarrhoea. Indore has been awarded as the cleanest city in the country for eight consecutive times by the Union government.
Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Madhav Prasad Hassani told The Hindu that 111 patients were currently admitted to various government and private hospitals and that more than 1,000 people had been treated for minor symptoms.
“We have surveyed more than 12,000 people in 2,700 households in Bhagirathpura so far, of which more than 1,000 showed symptoms. They were given primary treatment and medication,” Dr. Hassani said.
Dr. Hassani also said that while five persons from the area died, it was difficult to ascertain that they died due to water-related problems.
“All the deceased have been cremated by the families. So we have no way of confirming the causes of deaths. One of them was paralytic for about two years while two were more than 70 years old. One patient who we had visited at a hospital had recovered but suffered a cardiac arrest and died while being transferred to another hospital,” the CMHO said.
Local reports suggest that the residents of the area have been complaining about “dirty water” supplied from the Narmada river through the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) pipeline for weeks.
Minister’s visit
Cabinet Minister for Urban Development and Housing Kailash Vijayvargiya, an MLA from Indore-1 Assembly seat, also visited patients in hospitals and issued instructions to officials. Bhagirathpura falls under his constituency.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Vijayvargiya said all private hospitals had been instructed to provide free of cost treatment to people coming from Bhagirathpura and that the government would bear the expenses.
He also said more than 70 water samples had been collected for testing from the area.
“We have also checked the pipeline at various places and the water tank but it [contamination] is yet to be traced. It seems we will be able to trace it by tonight [Tuesday night],” Mr. Vijayvargiya said, adding that action against those responsible would be taken once the situation was under control.
However, IMC Commissioner Dileep Yadav said, “During inspections, we found a leakage in the main line where there was a toilet nearby. The toilet has been discontinued and repaired. We will conduct tests in a day or two and only after ensuring that there is no leakage will it be opened for use.”
Mr. Yadav said other leakages in the main and distribution lines were being checked and repaired, and water tankers had been sent to the area in adequate numbers for now. “Supply line to this area will only be opened after repairs and testing. We have advised people to not use the line water for drinking purposes for now,” he said.
Another official at the IMC said the toilet was at the Bhagirathpura police check post and the leaked water from its drainage was meeting the main line.
The official, who requested anonymity, also said complaints of leakage and dirty water had been received from the area earlier this year and a tender was issued in August to lay a fresh line.
“The tender was supposed to open in September but it was delayed. It was only opened on Monday evening after the tragedy came to light and the work was started on Tuesday morning in a hurry,” the official said.
The CMHO also said various medical camps had been set up in the area and ambulances had been deployed for two days to attend to people showing symptoms.
“A team of the [Mahatma Gandhi Memorial] Medical College has also been deployed to conduct necessary tests for epidemic investigation. For patient survey, we have deployed officials and staff from across the district as well as ASHA workers,” he added.
CM announces aid
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav termed the incident “extremely tragic” and announced financial aid for the families of the deceaed.
“The families of the deceased will be provided with financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each. The government will bear the full cost of the patients’ treatment. Instructions have been given to officials to monitor the situation and take effective action,” Mr. Yadav said on X.
Published – December 30, 2025 09:53 pm IST
