Congress claims 98% drinking water samples in Indore found contaminated

INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday claimed that nearly 98 per cent of 240 drinking water samples collected from Indore — a city that has repeatedly secured the title of India’s cleanest city — were found contaminated with disease-causing germs.The party also demanded an independent water audit of the entire city, according to news agency PTI.State Congress president Jitu Patwari said the party had collected 240 drinking water samples from 29 wards after the December 2025 tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, where several people allegedly died after consuming contaminated water.Addressing reporters, Patwari said the samples were tested at a laboratory in Noida, and nearly 98 per cent of them were found to be contaminated.He said bacteria such as E. coli and coliform were detected in the samples, while chemicals belonging to calcium carbonate, chloride and sulphate groups were found in quantities several times higher than the prescribed limits.According to experts, the presence of coliform bacteria indicates possible contamination in water, while the detection of E. coli is considered more serious as it generally points to contamination from human or animal faeces.Patwari said contaminated drinking water can lead to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, jaundice and dysentery, and in severe cases, may even result in death.Targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, "Indore is not the cleanest city in the country, but has become the most contaminated city." Patwari demanded an independent water audit of the entire city, public release of ward-wise water test reports, and immediate supply of clean drinking water in affected areas.Local residents and Congress leaders have claimed that 36 people died due to an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea linked to contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura.However, during a discussion on the issue in the legislative assembly on February 19, state Health Minister Rajendra Shukla said 22 people had died and that compensation of Rs 2 lakh had been provided to the families of each deceased.A one-member commission headed by Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, a former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, is currently probing the deaths linked to contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura.The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the commission to submit its final report by June 14.