INDORE: Seven persons have died so far due to diarrhoea and vomiting after allegedly consuming contaminated water in Indore city of Madhya Pradesh, its Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava confirmed on Wednesday amid conflicting claims over the number of fatalities.
"The health department has reported three deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak in the Bhagirathpura area. But to my knowledge, four more people suffering from the disease were brought to hospitals and they too died," he told reporters.
Bhargava said a preliminary assessment suggested that drainage water entered the drinking water pipeline due to leakage, which triggered an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting in the Bhagirathpura area.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Shivam Verma said doctors have confirmed four deaths due to the diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water.
He said 149 patients suffering from the disease have been admitted to 27 hospitals across the city and their health condition is being monitored.
Local residents claimed that at least eight people, including six women, have died in the past one week after falling ill due to consumption of contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased, besides saying the government would bear the entire cost of treatment of all patients.
An official said that following the chief minister's instructions, a zonal officer and an assistant engineer of the municipal corporation in Bhagirathpura have been suspended with immediate effect, while the services of an in-charge sub-engineer have been terminated.
The official said a three-member committee headed by an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer has been constituted to probe the contaminated drinking water incident.
Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav said a leakage was found at a point in the main water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura over which a toilet has been constructed, and the drinking water was possibly contaminated due to this leakage.
State Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla alleged that the administration is concealing the actual death toll to cover up its "fatal negligence" in the contaminated drinking water case.
"The contaminated drinking water incident has put an ugly blot on the image of the country's cleanest city, Indore, but the authorities are merely indulging in a cosmetic exercise in the name of action," he added.
