Indore: Did the local administration in India’s cleanest city, right from councilor, municipality to collector, ignore repeated complaints of water contamination? On the face of it, accounts of residents seem to point that way.
Take the case of Jitendra Prajapti, a resident of Indore’s Bhagirathpura that is now at the epicentre of a severe waterborne disease outbreak after sewage got mixed with the main pipeline supplying drinking water.
For the last one month, Prajapti’s house as well as neighbouring households were getting foul smelling water from their taps. This cycle kept continuing for 10-15 days in Bhagirathpura, a low-income neighbourhood in the heart of the old mill area, close to several industrial units.
“Initially, the complaints were neglected by the officials and even by the local leaders. Now, when hundreds of people are getting admitted to the hospital, that’s when the administration wakes up from its slumber,” Prajapati told ThePrint.
Official records of the mayor’s helpline accessed by ThePrint shows that water supply- related complaints were reported much before the health crisis broke out in Bhagirathpura.
According to the records, 1,219 complaints related to the Narmada water supply were registered in the last 25 days. Bhagirathpura zone prominently figured among the localities from where water-related complaints were registered, the records show.
The word doing the rounds is even complaints from local politicians fell on deaf ears. People are still getting themselves admitted to hospitals with symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and fever even now.
“We have taken note of this (that people’s complaints were not taken into account), and we took action against those officials. An engineer was dismissed from duty and two others were suspended,” Indore District Collector Shivam Verma told the media.
Laboratory tests have confirmed that water samples contained bacterial contamination linked to a leak in the main drinking water pipeline, likely caused by sewage mixing with the Narmada supply line near a toilet constructed above it, according to health officials.
On his part, Bhagirathpura councilor Kamal Baghela said complaints from their end were not addressed. “We have been complaining for months, but not a single check was done by the officials. There was no testing or suspension of the water supply,” he told ThePrint
Several make-shift help desks have come up in the locality where medicines and ORS sachets are being handed to the affected families. Water pipes have been dug up at various spots to trace the points of contamination.
On Friday, the Indore High Court heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking strict action against the erring officials. The PIL was filed by Indore High Court Bar Association president Ritesh Inani. The court has fixed 6 January as the next date of hearing.
The Madhya Pradesh government submitted a status report acknowledging four deaths due to water contamination, though the petitioners claimed the toll could be anywhere between 8 and 15.
As the situation is unfolding, politicians have been putting the blame on the local authorities.
Cabinet minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Kailash Vijayvargiya wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, pointing at administrative and technical lapses that led to the waterborne disease outbreak. He also sought strict action against responsible officials along with immediate corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
However, the administration is not clarifying whether supervisor or senior officials responsible for monitoring complaints and infrastructure works will face action. Local residents are of the view that action is being taken only after lives were lost, but it’s limited to field-level engineers.
Complaints logged, but not escalated
The volume of complaints has raised questions about Indore Municipal Corporation’s grievance-redressal and monitoring system. Officials did not comment on why repeated complaints from the same zone did not lead to preventive measures.
The common refrain is: complaints were registered at the helpline and zonal levels, but they were not immediately identified as a serious case involving sewage leaking into the drinking water supply.
Municipal officials said that the complaints were initially treated as routine “water quality” issues, and that there was no clear input about a pipeline leak or drainage connection in the early days.
“Complaints were received, but there was a failure at multiple levels in assessing their seriousness and escalating them in time. We are reviewing the entire complaint-handling and supervision mechanism to fix these gaps and ensure accountability,” a senior Indore district official told ThePrint.
Altogether, 27 government and private hospitals have been roped in and people falling sick because of contaminated water are being admitted there for medical treatment.
“A total of 201 people are admitted in all the hospitals. The numbers have come down. Our survey team is working on the ground, treating the patients in the initial stages. All the treatment will be free and bills will be reimbursed if the affected have spent any money on treatment,” the Indore collector told ThePrint.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the Mohan Yadav-led BJP government and the Indore municipal corporation to ensure supply of clean drinking water in the locality and provide medical treatment to the affected. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), meanwhile, has sought a detailed report from the state government.
Local authorities are now working on a war footing for the last three days to trace the seepage points to address the contamination problem. Water tankers are now supplying drinking water to the residents of the affected neighbourhood.
“Announcements have been made to the people to drink water after boiling it. Teams are out on the ground visiting door-to-door, educating people about the dos and don’ts as well as keeping a track of their well-being,” Verma said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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