(Image source from: x.com/DrMohanYadav51)
A lab test has shown that polluted drinking water caused a vomiting and diarrhea outbreak in Indore, a major city in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in at least nine deaths and impacting over 1,400 individuals, according to officials on Thursday. The outbreak started in the Bhagirathpura region and has raised worries about the safety of the city's water supply, even though Indore has been recognized as India’s cleanest city for the last eight years. Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani, Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer, informed reporters that a report from a local medical college confirmed the drinking water was tainted due to a leak in a pipeline in the Bhagirathpura area, where the outbreak was reported. He did not provide detailed results from the test. Authorities discovered a leak in the main drinking water pipeline close to a police station in Bhagirathpura, where a toilet had been built, which they claimed resulted in the water supply becoming contaminated in that area.
#WATCH | Indore | Eight people died in Indore due to contaminated water, more than 149 people have been hospitalised, and several others fell ill.
— ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2026
(Visuals from the Bhagirathpura where contamination happened) pic.twitter.com/Xb9CHoVvhA
According to Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey, officials are thoroughly inspecting the entire drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura to check for other leaks. He mentioned that after the inspection, clean water was supplied to homes in Bhagirathpura on Thursday, although residents were urged to boil water before consuming it as a safety measure. Dubey also noted that water samples were collected and sent for analysis. Reflecting on the situation, he stated that insights gained from the water crisis in Bhagirathpura would lead to the creation of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the entire state to avoid similar issues in the future. Dubey went to Bhagirathpura to assess the situation after being directed by Mohan Yadav. Officials have stepped up monitoring of the water supply system to prevent any more outbreaks.
In the meantime, the National Human Rights Commission sent a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government regarding the fatalities. Locals had reportedly been voicing concerns about receiving "contaminated water for several days," but no action was taken by the authorities, according to the national rights organization. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav referred to the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak as a "critical situation" and promised strict measures against those responsible. Yadav visited several hospitals in the city to check on the patients' conditions and later held a high-level meeting to discuss the issue.
इंदौर के भागीरथपुरा की दुखद घटना से प्रभावित हर परिवार के साथ राज्य सरकार पूरी संवेदनशीलता के साथ खड़ी है।
— Dr Mohan Yadav (@DrMohanYadav51) December 31, 2025
आज इंदौर के अस्पतालों में उपचाररत प्रभावित नागरिकों, उनके परिजनों एवं उपचार में जुटे चिकित्सकों से भेंट कर स्थिति की जानकारी ली और मरीजों का कुशलक्षेम जाना। pic.twitter.com/0BTe1ZRi8V
A health department official stated that a survey conducted on Thursday reviewed 1,714 homes in Bhagirathpura, assessing 8,571 individuals, among whom 338 displayed mild vomiting and diarrhea symptoms and received basic treatment at home. The health department reported that in the eight days since the outbreak started, 272 patients had been admitted to local hospitals, with 71 having been discharged. Currently, 201 patients are in hospitals, with 32 of them in intensive care units (ICUs), according to the official.
