Breaking News Live Updates: Indore water contamination sparks fear among residents, govt assures treatment and investigation – The Economic Times

Gabbar Lashkari, a resident, shared the struggles his family has faced. “We had been complaining about dirty water for many days, but no one was listening. My daughter Kanak Lashkari, 15, is admitted to the hospital. My mother, 93, fell ill recently. She has been treated and is now fine,” he said.

“Now we buy water to drink and for other uses. We take water from the government borewell. Municipal corporation tankers are supplying drinking water, but we are now scared to drink it. We no longer trust it. In the name of development, destruction is being done,” Lashkari added.

Another resident, Durgadas Maurya, told ANI that the municipal corporation supplies drinking water through tankers in the morning, while water for other uses is provided from a government borewell. “This water is clean,” he said.

In an emotional incident, Pinky Yadav and her daughter-in-law Nidhi Yadav confronted local councillor Kamal Waghela and ran after Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s car while trying to get help for their mother-in-law, Ramlali Yadav, who is admitted to hospital. “Her condition is serious. No one is listening to us,” Pinky said. Nidhi added, “Everyone in our house has fallen ill due to dirty water. The government is giving compensation, but that will not undo the suffering we have faced.”

Councillor Kamal Waghela explained that Narmada water has been supplied through tankers every morning since residents fell ill. “People were scared, so we arranged water from another tank and distributed it. It will take time for people’s trust to return,” he said. Waghela added that drainage and water pipelines in the area are faulty, with the Narmada pipeline corroded due to the drainage line running above it. He said work on a new pipeline was delayed by six months.

Indore Collector Shivam Verma told ANI that the initial report confirms water contamination, though authorities continue to assess the situation. “We have admitted patients, and our survey team is going door-to-door to check for symptoms. We are distributing chlorine tablets everywhere. The situation is being closely monitored,” he said.

Verma added that patients are being treated across private and government facilities. The state government has promised full support for affected families. “As per the Chief Minister’s instructions, free treatment will be provided to the victims, and any money deposited will be refunded,” he said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident following reports of contaminated water in the area. “Reportedly, the residents had been complaining about the supply of contaminated water for several days, but the authorities took no action,” the NHRC said, seeking a detailed report from the Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary within two weeks.