‘Gave him milk mixed with tap water’: How Indore’s diarrhoea outbreak killed 5-month-old

INDORE: Bhagirathpura in Indore has fallen eerily quiet. Streets that are usually crowded remain largely deserted, save for a handful of residents at temporary medical camps set up in the locality. With more than 200 people from the neighbourhood hospitalised across 27 medical facilities in the city, most families have been away since Monday night, tending to relatives struck by diarrhoea, vomiting and high fever. Nine residents have died so far.

For Sadhana Sahu, a private school teacher, the silence is permanent. Sitting outside her home on Thursday, she struggled to speak through tears as she recalled losing her five-month-old son, Abhyan. “The water was contaminated. I mixed it with his milk and his condition worsened,” she said.




The crisis in Bhagirathpura began when waste water from a toilet constructed at a police check post seeped into the main drinking water pipeline below it. Officials of the Indore Municipal Corporation said the contractor had diverted the toilet’s discharge into a pit located directly above the water line instead of building a septic tank connected to the sewer system, leading to large-scale contamination.

As state officials rushed on Thursday to identify lapses, improve treatment facilities and flush the water supply network, Sadhana remained inconsolable. Abhyan, she said, was born a decade after the couple’s first child. “We waited 10 years for him. Now he is gone,” she said.

Her husband, Sunil Sahu, who works remotely for an internet services firm, said their son first showed symptoms of diarrhoea and fever on December 26. “We took him to a doctor and brought him home with medicines. For two days, he seemed better. Then suddenly on Monday, his fever spiked, he vomited and collapsed. He died at home. We didn’t even get the chance to reach a hospital,” he said.

Grief hangs heavy across Bhagirathpura, a densely populated area of nearly 15,000 people, most of whom belong to economically weaker sections. Almost every household has one or more members suffering from similar symptoms.

From Borasi ki Gali, Alguram Yadav said his 65-year-old wife, Urmila, died on Sunday. His son, daughter-in-law and 11-month-old grandson are currently undergoing treatment in hospital. “We barely get by. When illness strikes, everything collapses,” he said.

Yadav said apart from visits by officials to take stock of the situation, little help reached families initially. “The minister came and handed over the Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque announced by the chief minister,” he said, adding that many families were still struggling to cope with medical costs and loss.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy New Year wishes, messages, and quotes !