Indore: Around 20 people received medical treatment and a child was hospitalized on Tuesday after sewage reportedly seeped into the sole operational borewell of Mahavir Nagar, located within Ward 16 of the Bangarda area, causing water contamination.
Residents Blame Municipal Authorities
Angry residents blamed municipal authorities for negligence, citing a complete lack of water quality monitoring. Households in the area reported receiving foul-smelling, discolored water through their taps for several days.
Health Impact
Health officials said that the impacted individuals complained of severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. They confirmed that around 20 people were provided medical treatment, and a child was moved to a hospital in Gujarat by her family after her condition deteriorated.
Teams from the health department, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), and local non-governmental organizations were deployed in the colony. Healthcare and anganwadi workers initiated door-to-door checkups to distribute Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) packets, diagnostic tracking sheets, and essential medicines.
“Around 20 people complained of health issues including abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea but none of them provided stool samples,” CMHO Dr. Madhav Hasani told TOI. “The girl, who was stated to be sick, has previous medical history and has gone to Ahmedabad with her parents as they reside there,” he added.
Emergency Measures
IMC Additional Commissioner Ashish Pathak said that emergency engineering measures have been initiated to isolate the source of contamination. “The contaminated borewell, which suffered sewage seepage from an adjacent subterranean pipeline, has been completely sealed,” Pathak said. He added that the civic body is currently drilling a replacement borewell to restore regular service.
As an interim measure, IMC has deployed two dedicated water tankers to meet the neighborhood’s daily requirements and has issued a public advisory instructing all residents to boil water before consumption.
Background
Pathak said that the existing borewell was originally dug over 20 years ago when the colony fell under Panchayat jurisdiction, adding that a centralized Narmada water pipeline network has yet to be laid across this specific sector of Ward 16.
A few months ago, drinking water contamination claimed several lives in the city’s Bhagirathpura area.
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