At least 22 people in Mhow town of Indore district have fallen ill after consuming contaminated drinking water. Nine of the affected residents have been admitted to the hospital, while the remaining patients are being treated at home under medical supervision, The Indian Express reported.
Earlier Incident
The latest cases come just days after a major water contamination incident in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, where at least 23 people died and over 1,000 others fell sick after consuming contaminated water. A government assessment later found that bacterial contamination in the drinking water supply had led to a widespread outbreak of infection.
In response to the earlier incident, the Madhya Pradesh government announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and assured free medical treatment for all affected residents.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to restore safe and regular water supply in the affected areas. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav on Thursday inspected ongoing water supply restoration work in Bhagirathpura to review the progress of repair and maintenance activities being carried out by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC).
Speaking to ANI, Mayor Bhargav said, “Our priority is to ensure that the situation in Bhagirathpura becomes completely normal. Wherever required, work on laying new drainage systems and drinking water supply lines is being carried out at a war footing. Today, we inspected the work of laying the main pipeline from the water tank and that work is now in its final stage.”
“Thereafter, interconnection pipeline works in the remaining areas of the locality and other pending works will be completed swiftly. Our foremost priority is to normalise the water supply situation in Bhagirathpura,” he added.
Bhargav also noted that the number of patients undergoing treatment had reduced compared to earlier days and that the health department was continuously monitoring the situation.
The Bhagirathpura water contamination incident had triggered widespread criticism, with opposition leaders targeting the state government over the deaths and illnesses. On January 17, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited Indore and met the families of those who died and residents undergoing treatment.
He accused the BJP-led state government of criminal negligence and demanded accountability, compensation and continued assistance for the affected families.
