Laboratory tests have confirmed that the diarrhoea outbreak in Indore, which has claimed at least 4 lives and affected more than 1,400 people, was caused by contaminated drinking water, officials said.
The findings have highlighted serious risks in the drinking water supply system in parts of Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital, despite Indore being ranked India’s cleanest city for the past 8 years.
Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani told reporters on Thursday that a laboratory report prepared by a city medical college confirmed contamination of drinking water due to a leakage in a pipeline in the Bhagirathpura area, from where the outbreak was reported. He did not disclose the detailed findings of the report.
Officials said a leak was detected in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura, at a location above which a toilet had been constructed. They said the leakage led to contamination of the water supplied to the area.
Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey said authorities were closely examining the entire drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura to check for any other leaks. He said that after inspection, clean water was supplied to households through the pipeline on Thursday, but residents were advised to use it for drinking only after boiling it as a precaution. Water samples have also been collected and sent for testing.
Referring to the incident, Dubey said the state government would issue a standard operating procedure for the entire state to prevent similar outbreaks in the future. He visited Bhagirathpura to review the situation on the instructions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
A health department official said that during a survey of 1,714 households in Bhagirathpura on Thursday, 8,571 people were examined. Of these, 338 people showing mild symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea were given primary treatment at their homes.
The official added that over the past 8 days, 272 patients were admitted to local hospitals, of whom 71 have been discharged. At present, 201 patients remain hospitalised, including 32 in intensive care units.
