Six people have died and more than 200 others have been hospitalised following an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea linked to contaminated drinking water in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a senior official said on Saturday.
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava had on Friday said he had received information about the deaths of 10 patients due to the outbreak, while residents of the Bhagirathpura area claimed that 16 people, including a six-month-old child, had died.
“At present, 203 patients are undergoing treatment in 41 hospitals across the city and six people have died,” Collector Shivam Verma told PTI Videos.
Of those admitted, 34 patients are in intensive care units (ICUs), with their treatment being closely monitored.
In view of the health crisis that emerged in the Bhagirathpura area, the Madhya Pradesh government has transferred the Indore municipal commissioner and suspended two senior officials.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said he had ordered the “removal” (transfer) of municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav, and the suspension of additional municipal commissioner Rohit Sissoniya and in-charge superintendent engineer of the Public Health Engineering department, Sanjeev Shrivastava.
Meanwhile, the state government said in its status report submitted to the High Court that the outbreak of diarrheal illness due to contaminated water supply is now under effective control, with continuous minute-to-minute monitoring in place to prevent any resurgence.
