Death toll due to contaminated water in Indore, 14 dead, thousands sick… Negligence of Municipal Corporation exposed

The water that came out of the taps in Bhagirathpura area of ​​Indore, which is said to be the cleanest city of the country, was not just contaminated, it was a warning of death. The victims say that the color of the water used to turn yellow at night and red like blood by morning, but the system did not notice this change in time.

The patient admitted in Verma Hospital told that only water from Narmada pipeline came to his house. The same water was used for drinking and cooking, which sent him to the hospital due to vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness. And many women say that they were suspicious, but due to lack of alternative they had to use the same water.

Digging, Drainage and Negligence

According to local people, road digging work was going on in the area for a long time. During this time the drainage line burst and the gutter water mixed into the Narmada line. Patients like Neha Vishwakarma, who herself used to drink boring water, also fell ill after eating things made from this contaminated water at local shops.

Lab report put the final stamp

When water samples were sent for testing after the deaths, the lab report of MGM Medical College revealed the shocking truth. Deadly bacteria like E-coli and Shigella were found in the water, which are directly linked to human feces. It became clear that the deaths were not due to any rumor but due to poisonous water.

There were complaints, no action

The residents of Bhagirathpura allege that they had been complaining about gutter water for years. From ward councilor to Municipal Corporation’s 311 app and CM helpline, complaints were lodged everywhere but only assurance was received every time. People’s question is that if investigation had been done then, could 14 lives have been saved?

Councilor shirked responsibility

Ward councilor Kamal Vaghela admitted that the infrastructure of the area was in a dilapidated condition, but shirked responsibility and said that the situation was already like this. On the other hand, the investigation done on the initial statements and possibilities of Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya also could not reach any concrete results.

Treatment continues, fear persists

Till now about 2800 patients have come forward. 32 people are admitted in ICU and new patients are emerging every day. There are queues of patients at health centers from morning till night. In many families, everyone from children to the elderly are falling ill together, due to which both fear and anger are at their peak in the area.

Same question, incomplete answers

This incident of Bhagirathpura has now become not only a health crisis but also a test of accountability of the system. People are asking. When complaints were there earlier, why action only after deaths? When the tenders were floated six months ago, why was the pipeline not changed? The color changing water had told everything, there was no one to listen.

Lives remained buried in tender files

In this entire matter the most serious question arises on the functioning of the Municipal Corporation. Tenders for changing the pipeline were issued by the Mayor of Indore himself six months ago, but they have not been approved till date. The allegation is that the tender process was deliberately delayed so that big games could be played through “settings”. If the pipeline had been changed in time, drainage water would not have been available in the Narmada line and 14 families would not have had to decorate the funeral pyre of their loved ones.

How safe is the common citizen?

This tragedy of Bhagirathpura shows how unsafe the common citizen is even in the so-called “smart and clean cities” of India. On one hand, the administration is busy in increasing or decreasing the number of deaths in the figures, on the other hand, the affected families have lost their children, elderly people and women. The question is not just that from where did the water become dirty, the question is that when citizens were repeatedly warning, why did the system remain deaf? Now this matter is not a matter of disease, but has become the final test of administrative insensitivity and accountability.