Indore water contamination: 12 new cases of diarrhoea detected, over 4,800 people screened

Indore: At least 12 new patients suffering from diarrhoea were reported at a health facility in Indore on Monday as the health department screened 4,827 people amid a gastroenteritis outbreak triggered by contaminated drinking water supply, officials said.

Three out of the 12 patients, who reported at the outpatient departments (OPDs) of health centres in the affected Bhagirathpura area, were referred to hospitals.

Officials said 434 patients were admitted to hospitals after the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea began on December 29, and 395 of them have been discharged after recovery.

At present, 39 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals, including 10 in intensive care units (ICUs), they said.

The administration has confirmed seven deaths so far due to the outbreak caused by consumption of contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura, while residents have claimed that 23 patients, including a six-month-old infant, have died.

Amid conflicting claims over the death toll, the administration has distributed compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to 18 affected families.

Civic officials had initially said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in the Bhagirthpura area, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed that the drinking water got contaminated due to this leakage.

India's cleanest city, Indore, depends on the Narmada river for its water needs. Through pipelines laid by the municipal corporation, water from the Narmada is brought to Indore from Jalud in neighbouring Khargone district, located 80 km away, and supplied to households.

Water is supplied through tap connections on alternate days in Indore, which is called the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh.

The state government last Friday informed the Madhya Pradesh High Court that the Bhagirathpura health crisis has been categorised as a "public health contingency", and the situation has successfully stabilised following the implementation of emergency measures and continuous monitoring.