The first warning signs emerged nearly two months ago through what should have been a routine civic complaint. On October 15, Dinesh Bharati Verma contacted the Indore Mayor’s helpline after noticing contamination in the well water near a local temple in Bhagirathpura, a densely populated area in Ward 11. “The borewell water is mixing with drain water… clean water is essential for those visiting the temple and ashram,” he warned.
According to a media report, by mid-November, concerns intensified. Another resident, Shivani Thakle, lodged a more alarming complaint, stating, “There is acid in the dirty water.” As December progressed, the situation worsened rapidly. On December 18, residents complained of a “foul stench” in the Narmada water supply. Ten days later, Ganesh Paraskar and Yash Parewa reported that “90 per cent of Ward 11 was falling ill — severe vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration”.
It was only on December 29, after the first deaths were reported, that authorities stepped in. “Our aunt, Nirmala Prajapat, and my father, Indar Prajapat, are in serious condition,” said Ritik Prajapat. “If anything happens to them, I don’t know what I will do.”
The contamination—caused by sewage mixing with drinking water—has so far led to at least eight deaths and more than 200 hospitalisations. Officially, the administration has linked four deaths and 212 hospitalisations directly to contaminated water. Preliminary findings point to a toilet constructed directly over a drinking water pipeline, without a safety tank underneath, allowing waste to seep into the supply.
However, municipal records, helpline data, and testimonies from residents and officials indicate that the tragedy was not sudden or unforeseeable. In 2025 alone, Indore recorded 266 water quality complaints, with 23 from Zone 4, which includes Bhagirathpura. Data from the Mayor’s helpline shows that 16 water contamination cases were assigned to Assistant Engineer Yogesh Joshi, of which only five were resolved, while seven were closed without resolution.
Sources within the Indore Municipal Corporation revealed that more than a year before the outbreak, officials had identified the need for a new Narmada water pipeline. A file was prepared on November 12, 2024, and a tender was floated on July 30, 2025. The work order for the final phase was issued on December 26, 2025—just days before deaths were reported.
Corporator Kamal Waghela confirmed that the demand for a new pipeline had been raised last year but alleged prolonged bureaucratic delays. In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav dated December 31, he wrote that despite repeated follow-ups, officials continued to say the matter was “under process”. He alleged that even after the tender was issued, the work was not completed within the stipulated time. “This incident is not merely an administrative lapse, but the result of grave criminal negligence that deliberately endangered public health. Prima facie, this case falls under gross dereliction of duty, contempt of orders and violation of public health laws,” Waghela wrote.
Assistant Engineer Yogesh Joshi, who has since been suspended, cited systemic constraints. “I manage three zones, which is impossible to handle alone. Local staff had already informed me about this situation. In fact, the head office was aware that the water pipelines in this area had been damaged at least a year ago. Although a tender for repairs had been floated, the work order was issued only two or three days ago.”
Bablu Parshad, the area’s water works in-charge, described Bhagirathpura as an infrastructural disaster, marked by ageing pipelines and extremely narrow roads. He said that when he joined three years ago, “the sewage and water systems had already collapsed”. According to him, about 60 per cent of the pipelines had been repaired, and the mayor had personally seen the conditions during a visit eight months ago. “A tender was filed to resolve the remaining issues, but officials failed to proceed. Both the Mayor and I have been pushing constantly to get this moving.”
Parshad added that repeated warnings had been issued. “On multiple occasions, we reported that a new line was necessary and noted that a new budget was not even required. Despite this, the lines were never replaced.”
Responding to the allegations, Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisonia rejected claims of inaction. “It is false to say that there was no work on repairing the water pipelines. There are mainly three lines — the main line, the distribution line, and the final household line that connects homes to the water supply.”
He explained that repair work had been staggered and aligned with AMRUT 2.0, a central government scheme aimed at improving urban water security. “The tender in question was launched several months ago. But under the AMRUT 2.0 Yojana, we were already working on water pipeline alignment across the city. How can we then begin work on the tender when that could be a cause for financial misappropriation?”
Sisonia said that nearly 80 per cent of work on the two major lines in Bhagirathpura had been completed and that work on the third line began on December 26. “The DPR was sanctioned, tenders were issued, and contractors were identified,” he said, adding, “I have been in charge for just two months… This is a 30-year-old line on which work was already underway.”
According to Sisonia, investigators have now identified the precise source of contamination. “Our investigation has identified that a small police chowki had been constructed over the main line. There was a bathroom without a safety tank, so all the contaminated waste was being stored in a pit. Below that pit, the main water line had broken, leading to contamination. We have tested samples from the site and confirmed that the samples were contaminated and could cause diarrhoea.”
The municipal corporation has since set up a control room to address pipeline damage and contamination complaints. “We have deputed a team to work on this case to ensure this incident never repeats again,” he said.
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