Sewage in drinking water killed 15 people in Indore, not 10: MP govt analysis

BHOPAL: A dying analytic thinking consider commissioned by the say authorities has linked 15 of the 21 deaths in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area to consumption of sewage-contaminated water, people familiar with the matter said.Indore divisional commissioner Sudam Khade said 15 were linked to “diarrhea and related symptoms caused by contaminated water.” He said the autopsy reports in two cases were awaited and the remaining four deaths were due to reasons such as kidney failure and cardiac arrest.The analysis, conducted by doctors at the city’s Mahatma Gandhi Medical College (MGM), Indore, was submitted to the state government on Tuesday. “Their mandate was to find how many have died because of drinking contaminated drinking water,” a senior health official aware of the development said.The government has given ex-gratia assistance of ₹2 lakh to the next-of-kin of 18 persons, insisting that this was done on a humanitarian basis. The district authorities had, however, insisted that only 10 deaths were linked to contaminated water.Officials said a team of five doctors examined medical records of 21 individuals who had died in the area after reports of contaminated water emerged in the area last month.A doctor, who was part of the panel that studied the documents, said the team analysed each case based on treatment records, symptoms, medical history, and documents submitted by hospitals and family members.“Since many victims were cremated without a post-mortem, it was difficult to establish the exact cause of death. Family statements and administrative records often contradicted each other, so we relied solely on medical evidence to reach a conclusion,” the doctor said.The outbreak was thrust into the public spotlight on December 29 after three people died in the locality complaining of vomiting and diarrhoea. On January 3, test reports of water samples confirmed the tap water was a cocktail of deadly pathogens — including E coli, Salmonella and Vibrio cholerae bacteria, along with viruses, fungi and protozoa — that caused polymicrobial infections leading to multi-organ failure and sepsis among patients.On Tuesday, the death toll in Bhagirathpura rose to 22 after a woman undergoing treatment at Bombay Hospital died.The officials said 39 patients are currently being treated at hospitals, with 10 in intensive care.A team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also submitted its report on the Bhagirathpura incident to the National Health Mission in Bhopal. However, the contents of the report was not known.