Water Contamination Kills 13, Sickens Hundreds in Central India

Water Contamination Kills 13, Sickens Hundreds in Central India
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At least 13 people have died and hundreds, including many children, have fallen ill after consuming contaminated tap water in the central Indian city of Indore, according to reports by local media sources. Patients suffering from severe diarrhoea and vomiting were admitted to several hospitals following exposure to water supplied through a municipal pipeline in Madhya Pradesh state.

Municipal authorities believe sewage entered the drinking water system due to a leak in a pipeline serving Bhagirathpura, a low-income neighbourhood. Residents said foul-smelling water had been supplied for about a week before the outbreak. Officials from the state government, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, visited hospitals treating the affected residents.

State minister Kailash Vijayvargiya declined to confirm the death toll, saying admissions had begun to decline. He said additional hospital beds had been allocated for patients. The state government announced compensation of 200,000 rupees for each family that lost a relative in the incident.