Nine fall ill due to water contamination in Indore's Mhow, after several died in Bhagirathpura: What led to the tragedy?

After seven deaths linked to water contamination were reported in the Bhagirathpura area of Madhya Pradesh's Indore district last month, at least nine people have now fallen ill after consuming contaminated drinking water in Mhow tehsil, officials told news agency PTI on Friday.

They said these cases of water-borne diseases were reported from the Patti Bazaar and Chander Marg areas on Thursday night.

"Nine patients have been hospitalised, while a few others are recuperating at home," the official told PTI.

Verma directed the health department to ensure proper and effective treatment for all patients and also instructed the Mhow Cantonment Board to check the water quality and maintain cleanliness in the area.

"The government is closely monitoring the situation," Verma was quoted as saying. He added that the affected areas will be surveyed, and residents suffering from any symptoms will be provided with appropriate treatment, and critical patients will be admitted to the hospital.

"No patient is in critical condition at present, and some of them will be discharged during the day," Verma told PTI.

The official said that personnel from the health department have been on site since Friday morning, under the direction of Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Hasani.

Mhow MLA Usha Thakur also visited the hospital to meet the affected people. "A team from the Indore Medical College and other specialist doctors are also being sent to the scene," the official said.

While residents of the locality have claimed that the outbreak has claimed 25 lives so far, a status report submitted by the Madhya Pradesh government to the High Court on January 15 mentioned seven deaths, including that of a five-month-old boy.

A death audit report of a committee of the Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College indicated that 15 deaths in Bhagirathapura could be linked to the issue.

The bench was hearing simultaneously two public interest litigations (PILs) filed regarding the deaths of people after drinking contaminated water in Bhagirathpura.

During the hearing on petitions, the court asked how the water supplied to residents of the locality - the epicentre of a diarrhoea and vomiting outbreak in India's cleanest city - got so contaminated and led to such a big tragedy.

Appearing via video link, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain told the high court bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi that contaminated water was found in 51 tube wells in Bhagirathpura and a test report revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria.

The Chief Secretary stated that E. coli was the cause of the widespread infection in the area.

A government lawyer replied that due to leakage in a pipeline in the area, the drinking water got contaminated due to mixing of sewer water in it. The source of this contamination also includes the sewer of a public toilet.

According to health experts, E. coli is commonly found in water through sewage or faeces, and drinking water infected by this bacteria causes vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and fever, PTI reported.

The high court had then reserved its order on petitioners' plea for a judicial inquiry into the deaths of several people due to vomiting and diarrhoea caused by drinking contaminated water and for an FIR to be filed against those responsible for the tragedy.

It scheduled the next hearing for January 28.

However, the petitioners' lawyer, Ajay Bagaria, expressed strong distrust of the committee, stating before the division bench that it was formed to conceal the truth of the drinking water disaster.

Bagadia then urged the court to establish a committee headed by a retired High Court judge and conduct a judicial inquiry into the tragedy.

He also urged the HC to order the registration of an FIR against the officials and other individuals responsible for the deaths due to contaminated drinking water.

(With inputs from agencies)