Indore, Madhya Pradesh – The recent outbreak of deadly waterborne illness in Indore, which has claimed multiple lives and hospitalised hundreds, has been described as a “system-created disaster” by Rajendra Singh, the acclaimed water conservationist popularly known as the “Waterman of India.” Singh, a Magsaysay Award recipient and one of India’s most respected environmental voices, expressed alarm that such a crisis could occur in a city consistently ranked as the nation’s cleanest, raising serious questions about the state of water supply systems across India.

Speaking to PTI on Sunday, Singh highlighted that the Indore water tragedy exposes systemic failures in urban water management, with deep-rooted corruption playing a central role. “If such a tragedy can occur in the country’s cleanest city, it shows how serious the condition of drinking water supply systems must be in other cities,” Singh said. He warned that Indore, despite its reputation for cleanliness, is emblematic of the vulnerabilities inherent in India’s urban water infrastructure, where technical lapses and financial mismanagement can have fatal consequences.

The crisis emerged in the Bhagirathpura area of Indore, where residents began reporting severe episodes of vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues. A government probe revealed a major leak in the city’s primary drinking water pipeline, compounded by an alarming misplacement of essential infrastructure: a toilet had been constructed directly above the water mains at a local police outpost. Officials later confirmed that sewage overflow from the toilet had contaminated the pipeline, triggering the outbreak that led to multiple deaths and hospitalizations.

Official sources currently report a death toll of six, but residents have alleged that fatalities could be higher, with some estimates ranging between 10 and 14. Around 200 people remain hospitalized, and more than 30 patients continue to receive critical care in intensive care units. The scale of the outbreak has prompted urgent investigations by the state health department and teams from the National Institute of Bacteriology, who are now collecting water and stool samples to determine the full spectrum of microbial contamination.

Singh pointedly criticized the way drinking water pipelines are laid in the city, asserting that cost-cutting and corruption are key factors behind the disaster. “Indore’s contaminated drinking water crisis is a system-created disaster,” he said. “To save money, contractors lay drinking water pipelines in close proximity to drainage lines, often violating technical standards. Corruption has ruined the entire system, and the Indore tragedy is the direct result of this corrupt setup.”

The veteran water activist also raised concerns over Indore’s long-term dependence on the Narmada River for water. He recalled his first visit to the city in 1992, when he had asked municipal officials how long Indore would continue relying on water sourced from the Narmada. Decades later, Singh lamented, the city is still dependent on the river, suggesting that successive administrations have failed to develop a sustainable and accountable water management mechanism.

Indore receives its water from the Narmada River through pipelines constructed by the municipal corporation. The water is sourced from Jalud in the Khargone district, located approximately 80 kilometers away, and supplied to households on alternate days. Singh highlighted the enormous financial burden of this arrangement, noting that the municipal corporation spends around ₹25 crore every month solely on electricity bills to pump Narmada water over long distances.

The water conservationist accused government officials of allowing substantial amounts of public funds to be siphoned off through corruption within the Narmada water project. “A large amount of money is lost to corruption in the project to bring Narmada water to Indore,” he charged, calling for greater transparency, audits, and accountability in urban water management systems. Singh warned that mismanagement at this scale not only endangers public health but also undermines trust in civic governance.

The Mayor of Indore, Pushyamitra Bhargava, had previously acknowledged the high cost and inefficiencies associated with the city’s water supply. During a seminar in June 2024, Bhargava commented that the per-kilolitre cost of Narmada water in Indore was among the highest in Asia, joking that residents were effectively paying for “ghee” instead of water due to wastage. The mayor’s remarks underscored the longstanding challenges in balancing supply, cost, and infrastructure maintenance in one of India’s most urbanized districts.

Experts such as Singh argue that the Indore crisis is emblematic of a larger national problem: a lack of proactive governance and oversight in municipal water systems. In many cities, aging pipelines, inadequate drainage management, and poorly enforced construction regulations create conditions where contamination can occur easily. When coupled with systemic corruption—such as contracts awarded without strict adherence to safety norms—the risk to public health escalates significantly.

Singh emphasized that Indore’s tragedy could have been prevented with proper planning, maintenance, and oversight. He noted that pipelines should be laid far from drainage lines and that regular audits and water quality testing are essential to prevent contamination. “This is not just a technical issue, but a governance issue,” he said. “The system must ensure accountability at every level—from contractors to municipal engineers—to safeguard citizens’ health.”

Beyond immediate technical fixes, Singh stressed the importance of long-term water sustainability in Indore. Over the years, groundwater levels have declined sharply, increasing the city’s dependence on long-distance water projects such as the Narmada pipeline. According to Singh, this dependency underscores the urgent need to adopt alternative water conservation methods, including rainwater harvesting, decentralized water storage, and proper urban watershed management. Without such measures, he warned, crises like the Bhagirathpura outbreak may recur, especially in other Indian cities where infrastructure oversight is weaker.

The Indore incident has prompted emergency interventions from the state government, including intensified chlorination of water pipelines, deployment of engineers to identify leaks, and medical care for those affected. While preliminary tests indicate that contamination levels have been reduced in treated water supplies, experts such as Singh caution that these are short-term remedies. Long-term solutions, he argues, require structural reform of water management systems and strict measures against corruption.

In conclusion, Rajendra Singh’s assessment of the Indore water tragedy highlights the complex interplay of infrastructure failure, governance shortcomings, and corruption in creating a public health crisis. While Indore has often been celebrated as India’s cleanest city, the Bhagirathpura outbreak demonstrates that cleanliness alone cannot guarantee safe drinking water. Singh’s warnings serve as a call to action for municipal authorities, policymakers, and citizens alike: without systemic reforms, investment in infrastructure, and rigorous oversight, urban water supply systems remain vulnerable to catastrophic failures that can endanger lives.

The Indore water tragedy, according to Singh, is a stark reminder that urban water crises are not merely natural accidents but often the result of preventable human and institutional failures. He urges policymakers to treat water as a vital resource, implement strict regulatory frameworks, and prioritize the health and safety of citizens above financial expediencies. Only through such comprehensive reforms, Singh contends, can cities like Indore hope to maintain their reputation for cleanliness while genuinely safeguarding public health.