In fallout of Indore water contamination crisis, senior officials face the axe

Other key changes included the immediate removal of Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisonia, an IAS officer of the 2017 who has been transferred as deputy secretary in the Department of Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development.

In an official order issued by Sanjay Dubey, additional chief secretary of the Urban Development and Housing Department, municipal commissioners and chief municipal officers have been directed to ensure “proper maintenance of water supply systems, continuous monitoring of water quality, and timely detection of pipeline leakages,” describing these as “extremely essential” to safeguard public health.

The order instructs all urban local bodies to conduct a city-wide survey of water distribution networks within seven days. Areas with dense populations and pipelines older than 20 years are to be identified, along with pipelines that run close to or below drains and sewer lines. Any leakage detected during the survey must be repaired within 48 hours.

Immediate water sampling has been ordered at all treatment plants, major water sources and storage tanks.

“Wherever E. coli or coliform bacteria or pollution beyond permissible limits is detected, water supply shall be stopped immediately and alternative safe water supply ensured,” the directive states.

Collectors have been asked to identify urban areas that have previously reported outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as vomiting, diarrhoea and cholera, and document both the causes and corrective actions taken. The directive also calls for the identification of critical zones vulnerable to contamination, including low-lying areas, locations where pipelines cross drains, and neighbourhoods with old and frequently damaged pipelines.

Residents affected by the contaminated water at Bhagirathpura
in Indore on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

To reinforce the corporation’s functioning, three senior IAS officers have been appointed as additional commissioners simultaneously. Akash Singh (2019 batch IAS), previously CEO of Khargone district, has been posted as additional commissioner in IMC. Joining him are Prakhar Singh (2020 batch IAS), former CEO of Alirajpur, and Ashish Kumar Pathak (2020 batch IAS), who was serving as deputy transport commissioner in Indore.

Additionally, instructions have been issued to relieve in-charge superintending engineer Sanjeev Srivastava of the water supply section and to fill vacant posts in the IMC immediately. Srivastava called it an “unfortunate” incident.

“I’m going to follow whatever orders there are. We have been working on this issue for the past four days. I feel shame and sadness over this incident,” he said.

On allegations of the municipal corporation not acting on a tender to repair the broken water line, commissioner Yadav said: “The same work was being done under the AMRUT 2.0 yojana.”

On the administration’s response to the incident, Yadav had said: “We have been regularly collecting samples. The first samples were collected on the first day contamination was found. We identified points where there was mixing of drainage. There are over 2,000 chambers which we cleaned. The main source of contamination was the toilet constructed above a police chowki. We are also diverting sewage lines which may intersect with water lines.”

Indore Municipal Corporation workers conduct a cleanliness drive. (PTI Photo)

According to highly placed sources in the Indore Municipal Corporation, more than a year before the outbreak, a file was prepared for laying a new Narmada water pipeline. The tender was floated after senior corporation officials conducted a spot check and found that water pipelines needed fixing.

The file was prepared on November 12, 2024, and a tender was floated on July 30, 2025. The work order to execute the final leg of the project was passed on December 26, 2025, just when the deaths started coming to light.

Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisonia had refuted the allegations and said the repair work was integrated with AMRUT 2.0, a central government scheme aimed at making cities “water secure” and self-reliant, with a focus on supply and sewerage.

Sisonia said that in this particular area, around 80 per cent of work on the two major lines had already been completed.

Sewage mixed with drinking water has led to at least 10 deaths in Bhagirathpura, as the Madhya Pradesh authorities now rush to control the damage. Prima facie, the cause appears to be a toilet built on a drinking water line with no safety tank underneath. Officially, the administration has so far linked four deaths. According to the health department’s affidavit to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, as of January 1, a total of 294 patients had been admitted to hospitals since December 24. Of those, 201 remained hospitalised, 93 had been discharged, and 32 are in intensive care units.