Indore – update, that city we all brag about for being India’s cleanest eight years in a row – is going through absolute hell right now in the Bhagirath Pura area. Families are saying at least eight people have died from drinking tap water mixed with sewage, though officials and most reports are sticking to seven confirmed, with some saying up to ten as probes continue. Over a thousand folks got sick with bad vomiting and diarrhea, hundreds ended up in hospitals, and it’s mostly hitting women, kids, and the elderly hardest.
The whole nightmare started because of a leak in the main Narmada water pipeline, right under a toilet built at a police check-post. Sewage seeped in – people had been complaining about stinky water for days, but it blew up big time just before the new year.
The local MLA and Urban Development Minister, Kailash Vijayvargiya, got into hot water himself when an NDTV reporter asked why only junior officials were getting blamed and how families were drowning in medical bills. He kinda snapped, calling the questions “ghanta” – you know, like “useless” or worse in Hindi. The clip blew up online, and fair enough, it looked bad with all the suffering around. But later, he put out an apology on X, saying he’d been working non-stop without sleep, his own people were hurting, and in that deep sadness, the wrong words came out. He promised action against anyone found guilty, no matter how’s high up.
Government’s kicking into gear now: CM Mohan Yadav announced Rs 2 lakh for each of the family who lost someone, free treatment for everyone got affected, suspended a couple officials, fired another, and set up a probe committee. The High Court got involved too, demanding a full report by January 2 and making sure clean tankers are supplying water.
It’s so damn ironic, right? Indore was even “Water Plus” certified not long ago for handling waste so well. Now this tragedy in a poor neighborhood shows how one stupid oversight – like building a toilet over a water line without proper safeguards – can wreck lives. Opposition’s hammering it as pure negligence, while the BJP says they’re on it 24/7 with camps and checks. Hope the investigations lead to real fixes, better infrastructure, and no more excuses. Nobody should die from drinking water from their own tap. Stay safe, everyone.
