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New Delhi: Ten people died and several others are in hospitals across Indore in Madhya Pradesh complaining of diarrhoea and vomiting. The tragedy is being blamed on contaminated tap water in the city. The reason for contamination in the city is said to be mixing of sewage water in tap water, according to a report in the Times of India.
Indore boasts of being the cleanest city in India. It has ranked on top of the national Swachh Survekshan rankings for 8 times in a row, but this recent tragedy in the city has certainly put a question mark on its claims of cleanliness.
Bhagirathpur where the tap water has been contaminated is said to have an approximate population of 15000. By Monday evening people from this area began pouring into hospitals across the city, complaining of vomiting and stomach infection. There was however confusion over the number of people who died and those in hospitals, as many patients were admitted to both government and private hospitals.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav however put the death count at 4. He visited patients in hospitals on Wednesday and was quoted as saying, ""As of now, the number of deaths recorded is four. But we have initiated a probe and the final figure would be clear once the report is filed."
However the mayor of Indore said that the death toll was higher.Pushyamitra Bhargava said, "Health department has officially reported the deaths of three persons, but according to my information, seven people have died."
According to the Indore Collector, Shivam Verma 149 people were admitted to 27 hospitals across the city. However, the CM put the number of those admitted to hospitals at 162. He said, "Currently, there are 162 patients admitted in hospitals, with 26 in ICU. 50 have been discharged."
Talking about the measures his government has taken to tackle the tragedy, Yaadv said, "As many as 7,992 homes have been surveyed, examining approximately 39,854 people, of which about 2,456 were suspected of illness and patients received primary treatment at the same location."
The CM also announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased and ordered free treatment for those admitted to hospitals.
According to the Indore Municipal Corporations (IMC), the source of contamination was a toilet constructed at the Bhagirathpura police check-post. The contractor had channeled the output from the toilet to a pit above the main water supply pipeline.
The IMC zonal officer and the assistant engineer have been suspended following the lapse. The collector also informed that the in-charge sub-engineer Shubham Shrivastava had been dismissed from service, following the leakage. An investigation has been launched in the matter and a 3-member committee has been set up for the same. An IAS officer, an engineer and a medical college professor are part of the enquiry committee.
Meanwhile, the Indore Bench of the MP High Court asked the government to submit a report on the number of deaths caused by the water contamination. This report is to be submitted by January 2, said the court. The order was passed on a PIL by Indore HC Bar Association president Ritesh Inani.
