Indore water contamination: Six dead, more than 200 hospitalised, says collector

Indore: Six people have died and more than 200 were hospitalised in an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, a senior official said on Saturday.

Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had on Friday said that he had received information about the deaths of 10 patients due to the outbreak, while residents of the Bhagirathpura area have claimed that 16 people, including a six-month-old child, have died.

"At present, 203 patients are undergoing treatment in 41 hospitals across the city and six people have died," Collector Shivam Verma told PTI Videos.

Of the patients admitted to hospitals, 34 are in the intensive care units (ICUs), and their treatment is being monitored specially.

The Madhya Pradesh government has shunted out the Indore municipal commissioner and suspended two senior officials in view of the health crisis that emerged in the Bhagirathpura area.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said he has ordered the "removal" (transfer) of municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav, and the suspension of additional municipal commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and in-charge superintendent engineer of Public Health Engineering department Sanjeev Shrivastava.

The government, in its status report before the High Court, stated that the outbreak of diarrheal illness due to contaminated water supply is now under effective control, with continuous minute-to-minute monitoring in place to prevent any resurgence.