Concern…… Deathly Water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura Strict Action Is Necessary  ..................................Dr. Chander Sonane

Concern……

Deathly Water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura
Strict Action Is Necessary
                                                                                                                                                                          Dr. Chander Sonane

In the country’s cleanest city, Indore, 17 people have already lost their lives due to dirty and toxic water. For them, drinking water turned into water of death. This is a blot on Indore. Why and how did drinking water become deathly water? It is essential to investigate the causes behind this, and it is equally necessary to ensure that such an incident never happens again. For this, firm and strict measures must be taken.

The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Mohan Yadav, visited the hospital, met the admitted patients, and enquired about their health. He removed Indore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Mr. Dilip Kumar Yadav from his post and sent him to Bhopal. Along with this, Additional Commissioner Mr. Rohit Sisodia and Mr. Sandeep Shrivastava, the Superintending Engineer who had been in charge of the Narmada Project for 13 years, have been suspended. However, this alone is not enough. Lapses at every level must be investigated, and the guilty at all levels must be punished.

When the drinking water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura was tested, the first report came after four days. The report revealed the presence of several dangerous bacteria that turned the drinking water into deathly water. The major hazardous bacteria found during the investigation are the primary causes of death.

During the examination of contaminated water, six major dangerous bacteria were found, namely: fecal coliform bacteria, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio species, Klebsiella species, and Citrobacter species. The mixing of sewage-contaminated water into drinking water made it poisonous. These bacteria cause diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, infections in the lungs and blood, cholera, dehydration, and infections of the lungs, urinary tract, and stomach. These are dangerous for everyone, from children to the elderly.

Due to consumption of this toxic water, 17 untimely deaths have occurred, while 201 patients are still admitted to hospitals and the condition of 32 patients is critical. Seventy-one patients have been discharged so far. More than one thousand patients have already been examined. Treatment of the hospitalized patients is ongoing. The saddest part is that the Municipal Corporation, which is primarily responsible for the contaminated water, has admitted before the Jabalpur High Court that only four people died due to dirty water. The High Court has questioned how the remaining 16 people died. The department appears to be engaged in a cover-up. This should not happen. The truth must come out.

News of deaths due to contaminated drinking water in the Indore Municipal Corporation area has appeared not only in state-level newspapers but also in national dailies. Not only Indore, but reports of sewage water mixing with drinking water in cities across the state frequently appear in the media. For example, in Ujjain’s Adarsh Nagar and Mahashweta Nagar, sewage-contaminated water is also mixing with drinking water, forcing citizens to consume it. In many places, leakage in pipelines causes sewage water to mix with drinking water. Similar conditions may exist in other cities as well. Therefore, a special drive should be conducted across all cities of the state to thoroughly inspect drinking water pipelines, and wherever sewage water is found mixing with drinking water, it should be stopped immediately and corrective work should be carried out. If this is not done, someday similar news of deathly water may come from another city. Controlling this situation is extremely necessary.

Recently, another alarming report has emerged. A report published by the International Centre for Sustainability has revealed that nearly 70 percent of drinking water in our country is contaminated. In terms of water quality, India ranks 120th among 122 countries—third from the bottom. The report also reveals that about 600 million people in India are facing severe water scarcity. Every year, nearly 200,000 people die due to dirty water. The report further states that by 2030, the country’s water demand is likely to be double the available supply. This will create an even bigger crisis for millions of people.

The report also mentions that between 2005 and 2022, more than 209.8 million cases of waterborne diseases were recorded in India. These are only the reported cases; many more cases remain unreported. Diseases spread due to contaminated water include diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and viral hepatitis. The highest number—86 percent—were cases of diarrhea, with typhoid ranking second. The highest number of deaths were recorded in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. This is an extremely serious matter.

In these difficult circumstances, the Central and State Governments must launch special priority campaigns to ensure that dirty water does not mix with drinking water. Wherever necessary during such campaigns, immediate corrective action must be taken. If this is not done, there is a strong possibility that incidents like Indore will occur in other cities of the country as well. This is a very big crisis, and addressing it is a joint responsibility of the Central and State Governments.(  Hindi to English translated by Chat GPT )

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Dr. Chandar Sonane, after retiring from the post of Joint Director in the Madhya Pradesh Public Relations Department, resides in Ujjain. He has a keen interest in contemporary and social issues and candidly expresses his views on matters of public interest through the “Sarokar” column.