Indore water contamination: MP govt's status report in HC cites seven deaths; no disease disclosed

Indore, Jan 15 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday submitted to the High Court's Indore bench that seven people, including a five-month-old infant, died during an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea in the city's Bhagirathpura area.

The status report, however, did not clearly disclose the disease that caused the deaths.

The 158-page status report was submitted to a division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, which is hearing a clutch of public interest litigations (PILs) related to deaths allegedly caused by consumption of contaminated water in Bhagirathpura.

According to the status report submitted by a sub-divisional officer, seven persons died in the area between December 28 and January 12. They were identified as Urmila (60), Tara (65), Nandlal (70), Hiralal (65), a five-month-old infant Avyan, Arvind Nikhar (43) and Bhagwan Bhame (73).

The report stated that Urmila, Tara, Nandlal and Bhame died during treatment, while Hiralal was brought dead to an urban primary health centre (UPHC). The cause of death of five-month-old infant Avyan and 43-year-old Nikhar has been described as "unknown".

Details submitted by the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) also did not mention any specific disease in the column citing the "cause of death" of all the seven persons.

Meanwhile, counsel for one of the petitioners, Vibhor Khandelwal, told PTI that during the hearing, a lawyer representing the state government orally mentioned that 23 people had died in Bhagirathpura and admitted 15 of them died due to consumption of contaminated water.

In compliance with the High Court's directions issued on January 6, state Chief Secretary Anurag Jain appeared before the court through video conferencing.

Jain informed the court that as per its directions, residents of Bhagirathpura were being supplied clean drinking water through tankers.

He said contaminated drinking water sources identified in the area had been shut down and their use stopped, including 51 tube wells.

The chief secretary said these contaminated water sources were being treated through chlorination and other methods.

He also informed the court that door-to-door surveys were conducted in Bhagirathpura and the health of about 1.62 lakh people was examined.

According to Jain, 440 patients were hospitalised following the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea in the area, of whom 411 were discharged after treatment, while 29 patients remain admitted. He said treatment of all patients was being carried out at government expenses.

Jain told the court that drinking water quality was being tested at various locations in Bhagirathpura and contracts had been awarded for laying new pipelines for water supply in the area.

The state government and the Indore Municipal Corporation submitted reports in court in connection with the contaminated drinking water case.

The High Court directed that copies of the reports be provided to the lawyers representing all petitioners and asked them to file their responses by January 19.

The court fixed January 20 as the next date of hearing and directed the chief secretary to again appear before it through video conferencing on that day.

Local residents have claimed that 23 patients died in the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by consumption of contaminated water in Bhagirathpura.

Meanwhile, a 'death audit' report prepared by a committee of the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College has indicated that the deaths of 15 people in Bhagirathpura may be linked, in one way or another, to the outbreak. PTI HWP LAL BNM