Water contamination crisis in Indore, India, leaves dozens dead and hundreds ill: Video
More than 14 people have died, and over 150 residents have been hospitalised in Indore, one of India’s cleanest cities, after a major contamination of the municipal water supply.
The crisis intensified on New Year’s Day when a six-month-old infant died, prompting emergency responses from local authorities and highlighting vulnerabilities in urban water infrastructure. Investigations suggest that broken pipelines running alongside sewage lines allowed untreated wastewater to mix directly into drinking water drawn from the River Narmada.
Footage from the affected Bhagirathpura area shows residents queuing with containers to collect safe water, while municipal staff deploy heavy machinery to clean sewers and distribute filtered supplies. Hospitals have seen a surge in cases of severe diarrhoea and dehydration, with some patients arriving in critical condition. Health workers and volunteers report that even residents who consumed boiled water fell ill, and many households were temporarily abandoned as the crisis escalated.
The incident highlights how infrastructure failures in densely populated cities can escalate into public health crises.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
