"More than 14 people have died and over 150 residents have been hospitalised as Indore continues to grapple with a contaminated water crisis on New Year’s Day. The issue intensified in one of India’s cleanest cities after a six-month-old infant died in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Footage shows residents in the Bhagirathpura area gathering with water cans to collect drinking water. Women and children can be seen queuing to fill containers, while staff clean sewers and heavy machinery is deployed in the area. Investigations have suggested that broken pipelines running alongside sewage lines allowed dirty water to mix directly into the drinking supply. Indore draws its water from the River Narmada through pipelines. “We didn't know my father was unwell because of the water. We could have paid more attention to him,” said Arthi Varma, whose father died on December 24 after falling ill due to contaminated water. “The doctors did not even tell us anything. They said he was dizzy and said that ‘your father will be fine’. Then it started to get worse,” she added. Varma only became aware of the cause of the sickness when the situation escalated, and she also fell ill. “We could not pay attention to him because we didn’t know about the actual issue. My father was very old. We did not have any money to get him treated. We are just labourers,” she said. For the past five days, health workers, politicians, and municipal officials have been visiting Bhagirathpura, assuring action and distributing advisories. “It is better than before, and now the number of patients has also reduced. Slowly, slowly, by the grace of God, everything will be fine. It will be fine in a day or two,” volunteer Subham Savadia said. Local municipal authorities have been supplying filtered water until the issue is resolved. “We have decided to distribute water to everyone in Bhagirathpura, especially elderly residents,” Savadia added. Residents complained of falling sick despite consuming boiled water, with houses in the neighbourhood left empty as hospital wards began to fill. “The number of patients here has increased by 300 to 400. Around 20 to 22 patients come here daily,” said Ajay Takur, a member of the nursing staff. He said many patients were suffering from severe acute diarrhoea, some reporting up to 80 to 90 episodes, and often arriving unconscious with barely detectable blood pressure or pulse. Takur said patients were given full medical investigations, higher doses of antibiotics, and significantly increased intravenous fluids, allowing most to regain consciousness within two hours. The Madhya Pradesh health department said at least 149 people have fallen ill after consuming contaminated water in the area. However, local reports claim more than 1,100 people have been affected in Bhagirathpura."