It’s Friday, January 23, 2026, and if you’re living in Indore, that “India’s Cleanest City” title is feeling like a bitter irony right now. While the city was still mourning the massive Bhagirathpura tragedy from earlier this month, a fresh outbreak has just hit the Mhow area.
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The thing is, we’re seeing a repeat of the same nightmare. Last night, people in Patti Bazaar and Chander Marg started turning up at hospitals with the same symptoms—vomiting, severe cramps, and diarrhea. Or nothing.
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The Indore Water Crisis: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the ground beneath the city is essentially compromised. Here’s the ground reality of the “fresh spate” and the legal war following it:
The Mhow Outbreak: At least 22 people fell ill overnight. Nine are currently in the hospital. The thing is, this happened just as the administration was claiming they had the “Bhagirathpura situation” under control. District Collector Shivam Verma was on the ground in Mhow at midnight, trying to stop the panic. Those too.
The “Toxic” Tube Wells: In the High Court hearing on Tuesday, it came out that 51 tube wells in Bhagirathpura were testing positive for E.1 coli. The thing is, the contamination was caused by a sewage line from a public toilet leaking directly into the main drinking water pipe.2 Let’s be real—that’s a catastrophic infrastructure failure.
The Death Toll Disconnect: This is where it gets messy. The government officially admits to 7 to 15 deaths, but local residents in Bhagirathpura say the number is closer to 25.3 A “death audit” by MGM Medical College recently linked at least 15 fatalities directly to the waterborne infection.4
High Court vs. The State: The MP High Court isn’t buying the “committee” excuse.5 On Jan 21, the court ordered the administration to preserve all original records—including the tender for the water pipelines—because petitioners fear a cover-up.6 The thing is, they suspect officials might tamper with the evidence to protect senior bureaucrats. Or nothing.
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Indore Contamination Tracker (Jan 2026)
| Metric | Status / Data | The “Ground” Reality |
| New Cases (Mhow) | 22+ ill | Outbreak reported in Patti Bazaar & Chander Marg. |
| Official Death Toll | 15 (Audit-linked) | Residents claim 25 deaths since late December. |
| Main Pathogen | E. coli | Confirmed in 51 out of 62 tested tube wells. |
| Legal Status | HC Monitoring | Chief Secretary Anurag Jain appearing via video link. |
| Compensation | ₹2 Lakh | Provided to 21 families so far. |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The thing is, the NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) has already sent a notice to the state.7 They’re asking why residents’ complaints about “smelly, bitter water” were ignored for days before the first death happened. Let’s be real—when you’re the “cleanest city,” you shouldn’t have a public toilet leaking into your drinking water for weeks. Those too.
One side comment—the local administration is now racing to survey every household in Mhow. It’s an ongoing situation where the “Bhagirathpura model“ of tanker-only water supply is being expanded to other parts of Indore. Or nothing.
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End…
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