National News
Indore Battles Major Diarrhoea Outbreak; Contaminated Water Blamed, 8 Dead and Over 1,400 Affected
A major diarrhoea outbreak in Indore, India’s eight-time cleanest city, has claimed the lives of at least eight people and affected over 1,400 residents, with laboratory tests confirming contaminated drinking water as the cause, officials said on Thursday.
Indore: A major diarrhoea outbreak in Indore, India’s eight-time cleanest city, has claimed the lives of at least eight people and affected over 1,400 residents, with laboratory tests confirming contaminated drinking water as the cause, officials said on Thursday.
Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said a laboratory report from a city-based medical college established that the outbreak originated due to contamination in the drinking water supply following a pipeline leakage in the Bhagirathpura area, where the maximum number of cases have been reported.
Although the detailed findings of the report were not disclosed, officials stated that a leakage was detected in the main water supply pipeline near a police outpost, at a location where a toilet had been constructed above the pipeline. The leakage allegedly allowed sewage to mix with the drinking water supply, leading to widespread contamination.
Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey said the entire water supply network in Bhagirathpura was being closely examined to rule out further leakages. “After inspection, clean water was restored through the pipeline on Thursday. However, residents have been advised to boil water before drinking as a precaution,” he said.
Dubey added that fresh water samples had been collected and sent for testing. He also announced that, drawing lessons from the Bhagirathpura incident, the state government would issue a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the entire state to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.
On the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Dubey visited Bhagirathpura to review the situation and monitor relief measures.
According to health department officials, a door-to-door survey of 1,714 households was conducted on Thursday, during which 8,571 people were examined. Of these, 338 individuals showing mild symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea were provided primary treatment at their homes.
In the eight days since the outbreak began, a total of 272 patients have been admitted to hospitals, of whom 71 have been discharged. Currently, 201 patients remain hospitalised, including 32 admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).
Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely while urging residents to maintain hygiene and avoid consuming unboiled water.
