Indore Tragedy: Lab Tests Of Water Samples Suggest Faecal Coliform Contamination

Bhopal: Lab tests of some water samples collected from the area, affected by contamination, in Indore in Madhya Pradesh have found presence of harmful bacteria faecal coliform, a senior officer said on Monday.

Of the 51 water samples collected from the area for tests, 35 have been found to have presence of faecal coliform, while the remaining 16 tested negative for any bacterial presence, a senior district health officer disclosed to this newspaper on condition of anonymity.

The presence of faecal coliform in the water samples indicates contamination of water by sewage, the officer said.

In another development, the local health authority has declared the outbreak of the water borne disease in Bhagirathipura, the area affected by contamination, an epidemic.

The outbreak in Bhagirathipura is now treated on the scale of epidemic, Indore district chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Dr Madhya Prasad Hassani told the media.

Officially, six deaths due to water contamination in the area have been declared so far, although the Congress put the toll at 16.

Indore district collector Shivam Verma on Monday said that teams from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMs), Bhopal, and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and experts from different parts of the country have been working in the affected area to contain the epidemic and find out the root cause of the contamination.

Officials said that survey was conducted in 2,354 houses in the area till late on Sunday night during which medical examination of 9,416 was made.

As many as 20 fresh patients were found during the survey, sources said.

As many as 142 people were currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Indore.

Seven patients, admitted to different hospitals earlier, were still being treated in the intensive care units (ICUs).

The state government is scheduled to file a detailed report on the outbreak of water borne diseases in the area to the Indore bench of high court on Tuesday.

Indore Municipal Corporation mayor Puspmitra Bhargav said that chief minister Mohan Yadav has ordered a survey of all water pipelines and fix it within 48 hours wherever leakages are spotted.