indore-mayor-drinks-tap-water-to-counter-contamination-claims

Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav on Monday publicly drank tap water at a resident's home in the city to counter the Congress's allegation that the municipal drinking water supply was contaminated.

 

The move came days after Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari claimed that nearly 98 per cent of 240 drinking water samples collected by the party from 29 of Indore's 85 wards had tested positive for bacterial contamination.

 

Patwari had alleged that the samples contained bacteria such as E. coli and coliform and that certain chemicals, including calcium carbonate, chloride and sulphate compounds, were found in quantities exceeding prescribed limits.

 

Seeking to rebut the allegations, Bhargav visited the Sudama Nagar area and drank tap water in the presence of local residents.

 

“Patwari's lie is exposed before the public. I drank the same municipal water among residents that he had labelled as poisonous,” the mayor said.

Also read: Nine taken ill in Mhow after consuming contaminated water

 

Bhargav accused the Congress of attempting to tarnish Indore's reputation by spreading misleading information. He also questioned the methodology of the opposition party's survey, claiming that while Congress said it had collected 240 samples, the report listed the names of only 130 residents.

 

“If the Congress provides the names of the remaining people, we will get the drinking water from their houses tested as well,” he said.

 

The quality of Indore's drinking water has remained under scrutiny since an outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea in the Bhagirathpura locality in December 2025.

 

While local residents and Congress leaders claimed that 36 people died due to contaminated water in the area, the state government has maintained that 22 deaths were recorded and that compensation of ₹2 lakh each was provided to the families of the deceased.

 

A one-member judicial commission headed by retired Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Sushil Kumar Gupta is currently investigating the Bhagirathpura incident. The High Court has directed the panel to submit its report by June 14.

 

The latest exchange has added a political dimension to the debate over water quality in Indore, with both the ruling BJP and the Congress trading allegations over the safety of the city's drinking water supply.