Lab Report Confirms Contaminated Water Behind Fatal Diarrhoea Outbreak In Indore
Officials reported a leak in the main drinking water pipeline near Bhagirathpura police outpost, adjacent to an improperly constructed toilet.
Published : January 2, 2026 at 10:25 AM IST
Indore: Following a diarrhoea outbreak that killed at least eight patients and affected over 1,400 people in the Bhagirathpura area of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, a laboratory test has confirmed contaminated water as the cause of the outbreak.
According to Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani, a laboratory report prepared by a city-based medical college confirmed drinking water was contaminated due to a leakage in a pipeline in the Bhagirathpura area, from where the outbreak has been reported. He did not share the detailed findings of the test report.
Officials have said that a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed the leakage led to contamination of the water supply in the area. Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey, who visited Bhagirathpura on Thursday to review the situation on the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, said, “We are closely examining the entire drinking water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura to find out if there is any leakage elsewhere.”
He said after inspection, clean water was supplied to households in Bhagirathpura through the pipeline on Thursday, though, as a precaution, people have been advised to use the water for drinking only after boiling it. “We have also taken samples of this water and sent them for testing,” Dubey said. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), taking suo motu cognisance of media reports of the deaths, on Thursday issued a notice to the Chief Secretary seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.
A health department official said during a survey of 1,714 households in Bhagirathpura on Thursday, 8,571 people were examined. Of them, 338 people showing mild symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea were given primary treatment at their homes. He stated that in the eight days since the outbreak, 272 patients were admitted to local hospitals, of whom 71 have been discharged so far. At present, 201 patients are admitted to hospitals, including 32 in intensive care units (ICUs), the official added.
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