The Madhya Pradesh government told the Indore bench that seven people, including a five-month-old infant, died amid vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura, without naming the disease. A 158 page report was placed before Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi.
INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh government informed the High Court’s Indore bench that seven individuals, including a five months old infant, died during an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea in the Bhagirathpura area of the city. However, the status report did not explicitly identify the disease responsible for these fatalities.
This 158 page status report was presented to a division bench comprising Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi, who are hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) concerning deaths allegedly linked to contaminated water consumption in Bhagirathpura.
According to the report submitted by a sub-divisional officer, the seven deceased were identified as Urmila (60), Tara (65), Nandlal (70), Hiralal (65), the five month old infant Avyan, Arvind Nikhar (43), and Bhagwan Bhame (73). It was noted that Urmila, Tara, Nandlal, and Bhame died during treatment, while Hiralal was brought dead to an urban primary health center (UPHC). The causes of death for the infant Avyan and 43 year old Nikhar were listed as “unknown.”
Additionally, details provided by the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) did not specify any disease in relation to the cited causes of death for all seven individuals.
During the proceedings, Vibhor Khandelwal, an attorney representing one of the petitioners, reported to PTI that a state government lawyer indicated orally in court that 23 people had died in Bhagirathpura, with 15 of those deaths attributed to the consumption of contaminated water.
In accordance with the High Court’s directives issued on January 6, state Chief Secretary Anurag Jain appeared before the court via video conferencing. Jain informed the court that, per its instructions, residents of Bhagirathpura were receiving clean drinking water through tankers. He also stated that contaminated drinking water sources had been shut down and the use of these, including 51 tube wells, had been halted. These sources were being treated through chlorination and other methods.
Jain mentioned that door to door surveys had been conducted in Bhagirathpura, assessing the health of approximately 1.62 lakh individuals. He reported that 440 patients were hospitalized due to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea, with 411 discharged after treatment, while 29 patients remained in the hospital. He assured the court that the treatment for all patients was funded by the government.
Moreover, Jain disclosed that the quality of drinking water was being tested at various locations in Bhagirathpura, and contracts had been awarded for the installation of new water supply pipelines in the area. The state government and the Indore Municipal Corporation submitted reports to the court regarding the contaminated drinking water situation.
The High Court instructed that copies of these reports be shared with the lawyers representing all petitioners and requested their responses by January 19. The next hearing is scheduled for January 20, with a directive for the chief secretary to again appear through video conferencing on that date.
Local residents have asserted that 23 individuals perished during the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhea linked to contaminated water consumption in Bhagirathpura. Additionally, a ‘death audit’ report from a committee at the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College indicated a potential connection between the deaths of 15 individuals and the outbreak.