After contamination tragedy, trust on municipal tap supply dries up; residents pay for water

Indore, Jan 3 (PTI) The water contamination tragedy in Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital Indore, also the country's cleanest city for almost a decade, has left people shunning municipal tap supply and scurrying for bottled water, putting a financial strain on those with limited means.

According to officials, six people have died and more than 200 were hospitalised in an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura, which has a large population from low and middle-income groups. The death figures, however, vary, ranging from 10 to 16.

"Yes, we are now scared of drinking water from municipal taps. We need proof that the water is clean, only then will we drink it. My family is currently buying drinking water jars from the market, paying between Rs 20 and Rs 30 per jar," Sunita, a resident of Marathi Mohalla, told PTI on Saturday.

She claimed the area was getting "dirty water" from taps for the past two to three years, but no one listened to the complaints of residents.

"For a long time now, we have been adding alum (sulphate salt used for water purification) and also boiling water before drinking," Sunita added.

Such is the level of distrust in a city that has often been lauded for its cleanliness that stall owners are using bottled water to make tea to reassure customers of safety.

Despite using bottled water, the price of tea has not been increased, pointed out tea stall owner Tushar Verma.

Meanwhile, the local administration has got down to creating awareness about safe water use.

"An information, education and communication (IEC) campaign is being run in Bhagirathpura through non-governmental organisation workers. These workers are telling people to boil water for 15 minutes before drinking it and to use only drinking water currently being supplied through municipal tankers," District Magistrate Shivam Verma said.

Chlorination is underway in municipal water supply pipelines and tube wells in Bhagirathpura, he added.

Adding chlorine or chlorine-based compounds to water is a time-tested measure to kill bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, making it fit for drinking. It is one of the most effective ways to prevent water-borne diseases, as per experts.

The administration has confirmed six deaths so far in the vomiting-diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated water in Bhagirathpura.

While Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had said on Friday that he had information about 10 patient deaths linked to the outbreak, residents put the figure at 16, including that of a 6-month-old child.

Indore depends on the Narmada river for its water, which is brought through pipelines from Jalud in neighbouring Khargone district, around 80 kilometres away. The city receives water supply through tap connections every alternate day.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said he has ordered the "removal" (transfer) of municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav, and the suspension of additional municipal commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and in-charge superintendent engineer of Public Health Engineering department Sanjeev Shrivastava.

The government, in its status report before the High Court, stated that the outbreak of diarrheal illness due to contaminated water supply is now under effective control, with continuous minute-to-minute monitoring in place to prevent any resurgence. PTI HWP LAL BNM