Water contamination in 'cleanest city' Indore: Death toll mounts as man says infant son among victims

Preliminary assessment suggests sewage entered drinking water pipeline due to a leakage, which triggered an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting in Bhagirathpura area in the city, according to Indore Mayor

On the day Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava confirmed seven deaths due to diarrhoea and vomiting after consumption of contaminated drinking water, a man on Wednesday claimed that his six-month-old son died two days ago on December 29 after developing similar symptoms.

Indore-based Sunil Sahu told reporters that his six-month-old son Avyan developed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea a few days ago and was taken to a paediatrician.

According to a media report, the man said, "On the advice of the doctor, medicines were being given to my son at home. We bought milk from the market and started feeding it to him. Since the milk was thick, we were mixing it with the water that comes through the municipal corporation’s tap connection."

Bhargava said that preliminary assessment suggested that sewage entered the drinking water pipeline due to leakage, which triggered an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting in the Bhagirathpura area.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased, besides saying the government would bear the entire cost of treatment of all patients.

An official said that following the Chief Minister's instructions, a zonal officer and an assistant engineer of the municipal corporation in Bhagirathpura were suspended with immediate effect, while the service of an in-charge sub-engineer was also terminated.

The official said a three-member committee headed by an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer has been constituted to probe into the incident.

Officials said that over the last one week, more than 1,100 people have been affected in some form by vomiting-diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura, of whom 111 were admitted to hospitals.

Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav said a leakage was detected at a point in the main water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura, over which a toilet was found constructed, and the water possibly got contaminated due to this leakage.

Yadav on Wednesday described the outbreak as an "emergency-like situation" and promised strict action against those responsible.

Yadav visited various hospitals in Indore, which is ranked the cleanest city in Swachh Survekshan, to enquire about the condition of patients. He later reviewed the situation in a high-level meeting.

Yadav said that the health of around 40,000 people in Bhagirthpura was screened, during which 2,456 suspected cases of vomiting and diarrhoea were identified.

He said 212 patients were hospitalised, of whom 50 had been discharged after recovery. At present, 162 patients are admitted to hospitals. The condition of almost all of them is stable.