The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s division bench is set to address the contaminated water tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area on Tuesday. The Health and Family Welfare department of the state government and the Indore Municipal Corporation will present a new report to the court, detailing the provision of clean water and healthcare services to the affected individuals.
In a previous hearing on January 2, the Madhya Pradesh government had submitted a status report to the court, citing four fatalities in the incident. The court had scheduled the next hearing for January 6. Indore High Court Bar Association President Ritesh Inani, who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the incident, mentioned that three petitions concerning the matter will be addressed collectively.
The state administration has reported an escalation in surveillance and response efforts in the Bhagirathpura area following the health crisis caused by contaminated drinking water, which led to multiple deaths, including children, in the past week. Recent days have seen a decrease in new patient admissions, indicating some improvement in the situation. Additionally, a rapid active surveillance exercise, termed a reconciliation process, was initiated in the area.
Madhya Pradesh State Surveillance Officer Ashwin Bhagwat stated that water sample testing revealed contamination in both the Narmada pipeline supply and tube wells. Due to the mixing of these sources, pinpointing a specific contamination source remains challenging. The Indore district administration reported that 409 individuals were hospitalized, with 262 discharged by Monday, leaving 147 patients currently receiving treatment.
The tragic incident has drawn significant criticism, prompting a visit by a delegation of Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders, including state unit Chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, to meet the affected families in Bhagirathpura. Earlier actions by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav included the suspension of Indore Municipal Corporation’s Additional Commissioner and a department engineer, alongside the transfer of the Corporation Commissioner and appointment of a new officer.
