What contaminated Indore’s water? Toilet still top possibility but engineers spread out to look for other culprits

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

The initial investigation seemed straightforward. The culprit: A small police chowki constructed directly over a main water line in Bhagirathpura. The bathroom had no proper septic tank, so contaminated waste accumulated in a pit, which ostensibly led to the spread of contamination through a broken water pipe.

“We earlier thought the contamination was from the toilet made at the local police chowki, where the infection spread. Even though that’s still a factor, we are looking beyond that source,” said a senior area engineer overseeing the expanded investigation.

“There are a total of 105 water tankers in the city which supply water to residents,” the engineer explained. “If the contamination was widespread, it would have been detected in water tankers across the city, but it has only been seen in Bhagirathpura. So there is a need for a deep investigation.”

Municipal authorities are now undertaking a heavy metal test on this pipeline for further investigation.

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

The most visible and physically demanding part of the investigation involves teams descending into the city’s sewerage access chambers, one by one, looking for evidence of leakage or structural failure that could allow sewage to seep into adjacent water mains.

“It takes a team 20 minutes to clean a chamber, which is an access point to the sewerage system in the city, looking for signs of leakage,” said a sub-engineer deployed to the Bhagirathpura area. “There is a target to cover a total of 1,000 chambers, and it will take some time for the team to complete.”

But complications are everywhere in Bhagirathpura, engineers overseeing operations said.

The neighbourhood is a maze of lanes barely 8 feet wide, where vehicles cannot pass, and equipment must be carried by hand.

“What has made things difficult is also tracing chamber work undertaken by private vendors in an area with narrow roads,” the sub-engineer said. “We are also digging up broadband lines… We are not leaving out any possibility.”

While teams work underground, another contingent is focused on the city’s 105 water tankers, key to the water supply.

“We are testing the water in all these water tankers for chlorine levels and bacterial infection,” said an assistant engineer assigned to the tanker inspection detail.

Rather than inspecting every pipe in the city, an impossible task given the timeline and resources, the expanded investigation is using a risk-based approach to identify the most vulnerable areas.

“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,” explained a municipal engineer coordinating the mapping effort.

According to the health department data, a total of 310 patients had been admitted to hospitals since December 24. Of those, 203 remained hospitalised, 107 had been discharged, and 25 are in intensive care units.

The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court had on Friday ordered water tankers to be sent to the area after complaints were raised that the vehicles were not arriving near the localities.

The municipal corporation had designated 4 additional water tankers to bolster the 30 water tankers already dispatched in the area.

On the ground

On Saturday, a group of women carrying bottles and buckets lined up to collect drinking water, some still complaining about the quality, others first heading to local stores to buy larger bottles. Similar scenes played out in several neighbourhoods.

Indore Collector Shivam Verma drank from a tanker before water could be distributed to residents, a signal that all is well.

“We buy the drinking water every morning. The tanker comes every day, but we don’t know how the water is,” said Rahul, 28, who lives in Chirag Mohalla, one of Bhagirathpura’s most congested colonies. “I am still unsure what all I have in my stomach from the past few days.”

Kishore, 40, a worker with the Indore Municipal Corporation, said that for the past seven days, even tap water supply has stopped.

“My son is three years old, and he also got sick on Saturday. Authorities have dug up the grounds, so we are dependent on tankers. I can drink that water, but for my kids, it’s not suitable. We are either boiling it or buying water for them,” Kishore said.

Meanwhile, the streets of Bhagirathpura also saw politicians from the opposition Congress running into protesting crowds. An inquiry team constituted by state president Jitu Patwari, including former cabinet minister Sajjan Singh Verma, managed to meet one family before they were confronted by protesters. Some in the Congress said those opposing their visit were BJP workers.

“Sajjan Verma Wapas jaao, Congress murdabad,” protesters said as the lanes saw pushing and shoving, with motorcycles tipping over and shoes flying.

“Bhagirathpura is in a very poor state. They should give Rs 1 crore to each victim’s family. This incident is being seen across the world, what they have made of a city which we created,” Verma said.

BJP spokesperson Shivam Shukla said the protesters did not belong to their party. “If the local crowds protested against the Congress delegation, then it is a rejection of their politics. Our workers are on the ground helping in relief work.”

A contingent of policemen decked in riot gear formed a wall between the two sides. Nearby, Samajwadi Party workers defaced state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya’s nameplate outside his official residence.

Additional DCP Crime Branch Rajesh Dantodiya, “We have taken 40-45 persons under preventive custody to ensure the law and order is maintained. Two groups were going to face off against each other, and we had to intervene.”