Indore Water Crisis Deepens as Clean Water Deadline Approaches
In Indore, the deadline to supply clean drinking water looms large as the death toll continues to rise. A 64-year-old man passed away on Monday morning, bringing the total fatalities to at least nine in the ongoing water contamination tragedy.
Medical Teams Track Vulnerable Residents
Medical teams are actively tracking households with young children, pregnant women, and elderly residents. This follows dozens of severe dehydration cases reported in early January. Doctors confirm three patients remain on ventilator support for multiple days.
The Health Department has deployed teams across Bhagirathpura, moving door to door with ORS packets and zinc tablets. They monitor individuals showing fevers, diarrhoea, and signs of dehydration.
Residents Distrust Taps, Rely on Alternatives
Distrustful of tap water, residents continue to depend on water supply from tankers. Streets in the area are lined with blue barrels and plastic containers. Families queue each morning and evening to collect water.
Many who can afford it have shifted to drinking bottled water or installing RO filters. Others resort to boiling and straining the water they collect.
Administration Races Against Time
The administration races to meet its three-day deadline for supplying clean drinking water in the affected Bhagirathpura area. Municipal Commissioner Kshitij Singhal spent Sunday touring the locality, overseeing sewer cleaning and inspecting borewell chlorination.
Teams have received instructions to remove sludge immediately after drain clearing. They must disinfect public points and continuously broadcast warnings advising residents to boil water.
Details of the Latest Fatality
Bhagwandas Bharnay, 64, had been unwell for several days, suffering from persistent diarrhoea and dehydration. He was admitted to a private hospital before being referred to Bombay Hospital.
Doctors stated he arrived in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest en route. Medical staff revived him through CPR and immediately placed him on ventilator support.
Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said, "The patient was admitted to the ICU in a critical condition and passed away this morning."
Compensation and Official Records
Government records show the Indore district administration has distributed cheques of Rs 2 lakh to the families of 18 people connected to the tragedy. The state previously informed the High Court that the death toll stood at eight.
The crisis highlights underlying issues in India's cleanest city, raising serious public health concerns.
