Indore’s contaminated water crisis has taken another tragic turn with the death of a 65-year-old woman, pushing the official death toll to 32. Anita Kushwah, a resident of Bhagirathpura, died on Sunday night after battling severe health complications for over a month.
Anita was first admitted to Bhagyashree Hospital on December 28 after suffering from acute vomiting and diarrhoea, symptoms that have become distressingly common in the area since the contamination outbreak. Although she was discharged after two days, her condition deteriorated rapidly once she returned home. On January 1, she was rushed to Aurobindo Hospital and later shifted to Bombay Hospital on January 4 as her health worsened.
Doctors placed her on a ventilator after her kidneys failed, requiring continuous hemodialysis. During prolonged critical care, she also suffered a cardiac arrest. Despite weeks of intensive treatment, she succumbed on Sunday night.
Confirming the death, Indore’s Chief Medical and Health Officer, Dr Madhav Hasani, said the government ensured treatment at higher-level hospitals, but all efforts to save her life failed.
Anita’s death comes just days after another victim, Eknath Suryavanshi, died following nearly a month of hospitalisation. With no improvement in his condition, his family brought him home, where he passed away the next day.
So far, more than 450 people affected by contaminated water have been treated and discharged. However, the crisis is far from over. Three patients remain hospitalised, two of them in critical condition in the ICU.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court is currently hearing multiple petitions related to the tragedy. Taking serious note of the deaths, the court has ordered a judicial inquiry and constituted a committee headed by retired Judge Sushil Kumar Gupta, directing it to submit its report by March 5.
The court has also questioned discrepancies in official death figures, seeking clarity on how many deaths were directly caused by contaminated water and why conflicting numbers have been presented.
