Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava on Friday said he has received information about 10 deaths due to a diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area of the city.
However, local residents have claimed that 14 individuals, including a six-month-old infant, have died due to the health crisis. The health department has not confirmed this claim.
“According to health department data, four people have died due to the diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura. However, I have received information about 10 deaths due to this outbreak,” Bhargava told PTI.
To a question about suspected cholera spread in the area based on preliminary test reports of drinking water samples collected from Bhagirathpura, the mayor said only the health department could provide information on the matter.
Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said on Thursday that laboratory test reports from a city medical college had confirmed that the drinking water from the locality was contaminated due to a leakage in a pipeline.
The CMHO, however, did not share the detailed findings of the report. Administrative officials have also been avoiding giving clear information about it.
Officials said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed the leakage led to contamination of the water supply.
More than 1,400 people have been affected by vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura over the past nine days.
A health department official, citing the situation till Thursday night, said that 272 patients were admitted to hospitals in the area, of whom 71 have been discharged.
The official said 32 of the 201 patients currently hospitalised are undergoing treatment in intensive care units.