Indore, Madhya Pradesh: Health officials investigating the deaths of people in Indore have confirmed that the city’s drinking water was contaminated with bacteria that are “generally found in sewer water.” This contamination has been identified as the main cause of the severe vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak that has killed at least nine people in the city.
Laboratory tests found dangerous bacteria such as Vibrio cholerae, Shigella, and E. coli in water samples. These bacteria are known to cause serious stomach infections, leading to intense diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration, and sometimes death.
The outbreak was reported from Bhagirathpura, raising serious concerns about public health and water safety in Indore a city that has topped India’s cleanliness rankings for eight years in a row.
On the contaminated water incident, resident Purnima Kaushal says, “The drainage problem is so severe that if the sewer gets clogged, the entire area gets flooded with sewage. The whole gutter line behind the houses is overflowing. The smell is so bad that my children have fallen ill from vomiting. Sewage water is mixing with the drinking water. Just 10 days ago, the water was so bitter that it tasted like it had too much medicine in it…”
#WATCH | Indore, Madhya Pradesh: On the contaminated water incident, resident Purnima Kaushal says, “The drainage problem is so severe that if the sewer gets clogged, the entire area gets flooded with sewage. The whole gutter line behind the houses is overflowing. The smell is so… pic.twitter.com/8cnXgKxA63
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2026
Contaminated Water Identified as the Source
Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani, said that tests carried out at a city medical college confirmed that polluted drinking water was responsible for the outbreak.
Officials said that sewage mixed with drinking water due to a leak in an underground water pipeline. A major leak was found near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura, where a toilet had been built above the main water supply line. This is believed to have allowed dirty water to enter the drinking supply.
Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey, who is leading the investigation, said the entire pipeline network in Bhagirathpura is now being checked for more leaks.
After repairs, clean water was restored on Thursday, but residents were told to boil water before drinking as a safety step.
Dubey also said fresh water samples have been sent for testing, and the state will use lessons from this incident to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent such disasters across Madhya Pradesh in the future.
Warning Signs Ignored for Days
According to officials, residents first complained of foul-smelling water around December 25. Some locals, however, said the water problem had been there for weeks before it became worse.
Initially, 14 deaths were reported. Later, authorities clarified that nine deaths were directly caused by diarrhoea due to contaminated water, while the remaining deaths were linked to other illnesses or existing medical conditions.
More Than 2,400 People Fall Sick
The scale of the outbreak has been massive:
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Over 2,400 people have shown symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea
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A door-to-door health survey covered 1,714 households and 8,571 people
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338 people with mild symptoms were treated at home
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272 patients were admitted to hospitals
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71 patients have recovered and were discharged
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201 patients are still admitted, including 32 in ICUs
NHRC Takes Action
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the deaths. It issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government, pointing out that people had complained about polluted water for days without action.
The NHRC said the incident raises serious human rights concerns and asked the state government to submit a detailed report within two weeks.
Government on High Alert
Authorities have stepped up monitoring of the city’s water supply and are checking old pipelines to prevent more contamination. Officials are also investigating whether any negligence by government departments caused the crisis.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav called the outbreak an “emergency-like situation.” He visited hospitals to check on patients and later held a high-level meeting to review the situation and ensure accountability.
On the Indore water contamination incident, Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya says, “… There were possibilities of contamination of water with sewage, therefore treatment had already begun earlier, and the same treatment continues now. Micro-checking is underway across the entire colony and will take 8 to 10 days. A total of eight deaths have been reported, of which two or three are natural deaths and the remaining, if found in the medical report, will be treated subsequently…”
#WATCH | Indore, Madhya Pradesh: On the Indore water contamination incident, Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya says, “… There were possibilities of contamination of water with sewage, therefore treatment had already begun earlier, and the same treatment continues now.… pic.twitter.com/8nde3i3w5s
— ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2026
