Test report confirms bacterial contamination in 26 Indore water samples

A third of water samples taken from Indore’s Bhagirathpura area and tested by medical authorities contained bacterial contamination, according to a report submitted to the Indore Municipal Corporation on Thursday, even as officials took steps to clean and repair the water supply line and begin work on a delayed, new supply line.

Nearly 2,800 people have fallen ill in the area over the past 10 days due to contaminated drinking water supplied by the IMC, and 272 have been hospitalised. While the official death toll remains at four, local reports and residents claim that 14 people have died due to the contamination. On the first day of 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Anurag Jain and sought a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

Indore Divisional Commissioner Sudam Khade told The Hindu that a report has been submitted by the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College to the IMC confirming bacterial contamination in 26 water samples. More than 70 samples had been collected from various locations in the area.

“The entire supply line has been cleaned, leakages repaired, and water replaced. Chlorine tablets have been distributed in the area and residents have been advised to boil the water before consuming it,” Mr. Khade said, adding that the OPD patients numbers are now decreasing.

A tender had been issued in August for a new water supply line in the area, but work has remained stalled for over four months. Officials pointed to this negligence as one of the main causes behind the tragedy. This delay was discussed at a high-level meeting on Thursday, and the tender will be cleared by Friday, according to Urban development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who attended the meeting.

“Today, we held a meeting and resolved the minor problems such as tender issues and others due to which work was hindered. The tender for the Bhagirathpura area will be cleared by tomorrow, and work will commence,” he said.

At the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Sanjay Dubey directed random sampling of drinking water across Indore and issued instructions to better deal with the situation and take measures to prevent similar tragedies in future. “The ACS also directed officials to improve coordination between the Health Department and the IMC,” Mr. Khade said.

Taking suo moto cognisance of the situation on the basis of a media report, the NHRC said in its notice: “Reportedly, the residents had been complaining about the supply of contaminated water supply for several days, but no action was taken by the authorities. According to the media report, the main pipeline, which supplies drinking water to the area, passes beneath a public toilet. Due to a leakage in the main line, sewage water reportedly mixed with the drinking water. Besides, several water distribution lines were also found broken in the area, due to which contaminated water was reaching the households.”

According to a statement from the Chief Medical and Health Officer, more than 48,400 people have been screened so far in the area, of which nearly 2,800 people have been found with symptoms. “To date, a total of 272 patients have been admitted to hospitals, of which 71 have been discharged. Currently, the number of patients hospitalised is 201, and the number of patients in the ICU is 32,” it said.

Mr. Vijayvargiya, who also represents the constituency in the M.P. Assembly, found himself in hot water for using objectionable language while responding to a reporter’s questions about these patients, prompting the Congress to demand his resignation.

In a heated exchange late on December 31, the TV reporter questioned the Minister about local residents’ allegations that they had not been reimbursed by the hospitals where their family members were being treated despite the government’s promises to do so. The reporter also said that he had visited the area and found that people were not getting sufficient drinking water since the tragedy.

“Don’t ask fokat (useless) questions. Ghanta (a slang word used for nonsense) you visited there,” Mr. Vijayvargiya can be heard saying in a video that has gone viral.

Mr. Vijayvargiya later expressed regret for his words in a post on X. “My team and I have been continuously working to improve the situation in the affected area without sleep for the past two days. My people are suffering from contaminated water, and some have left us; in this state of deep sorrow, my words came out wrong in response to a media question. For this, I express my regret. But until my people are completely safe and healthy, I will not sit quietly,” he said.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari said: “Ravana didn’t have this much arrogance, as much as is being shown by BJP Ministers after giving poisonous water to people.”