Toilet Leak Led To Indore Tragedy

 Bhopal: A police outpost set up in a water contamination-affected area of Indore has been identified as the source of sewage that leaked into a drinking water pipeline, leading to the deaths of at least 10 people so far, according to information gathered from local residents.

An official report stated that a toilet constructed at the police outpost did not have a septic tank, causing sewage to accumulate in a nearby ditch beneath which the pipeline carrying drinking water from the Narmada River runs. The contamination is believed to have occurred due to this leakage. State urban administration and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya had earlier confirmed this.

A senior officer of the Indore Municipal Corporation said measures were being taken to rectify the situation. Meanwhile, IMC chairman Pushpmitra Bhargav said information from local residents indicated that ten people had died due to water contamination. However, a status report submitted by the state government to the Indore Bench of the High Court on Friday put the official death toll at four. The High Court has posted the matter for further hearing on February 6. Hospitals in Indore reported fresh admissions on Friday of patients suspected to be affected by contaminated water. As many as 201 patients are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the city.

Water sample tests conducted at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital indicated the presence of bacteria commonly found in sewage. Sources said pathogen cultures are being carried out to identify the exact bacteria. Of the 70 water samples collected from the affected Bhagirathpura area, test reports for 36 samples have been received so far.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting, during which the probe report submitted by a committee headed by additional chief secretary (Urban Administration) Sanjay Dubey was discussed. Following the review, the Chief Minister said show-cause notices had been issued to the Indore Municipal Commissioner and his deputy, and that the deputy commissioner had been shifted. The in-charge Superintending Engineer of the corporation has also been divested of water supply responsibilities.

The Chief Minister said steps were being taken to restore normalcy and ensure safe drinking water supply to the city.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has sought a report from the State government on the incident. In a related development, women from the affected areas staged a protest in front of the Indore Municipal Corporation office, alleging civic negligence. The Youth Congress also held a protest by rowing boats in the Upper Lake on Friday, carrying photographs of Vijayvargiya holding a bell. The protest followed a recent controversy after the minister used the word “ghanta” while responding to a journalist’s question in Indore.