MP contaminated water: E Coli bacteria found in 4 locations in Bhopal; slaughterhouse sealed

BHOPAL: After recent incidents in Bhopal and Indore, contaminated water has been detected in several areas of Bhopal, with the municipal corporation’s investigation confirming the presence of E. coli at four locations.The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has tested 1,810 water samples from across the city, while inspection teams continue to monitor water supplies in all areas. Authorities have said strict action will be taken against negligent officials and that all distribution lines are being thoroughly checked. Officials have also warned of stringent measures if public complaints are ignored, according to news agency ANI. Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai said the contaminated samples were not from water supplied to residents. She said, "The Bhopal Municipal Corporation has sent 1810 samples to the lab to date. After sending them to the lab, they were tested. Four samples were found to contain bacteria; these were underground water samples, taken from tube wells, and the samples obtained from the tube wells were raw water. That water is not supplied to the people of Bhopal"She added that the civic body is responding promptly to complaints. "The Municipal Corporation is receiving complaints from various sources. Municipal Corporation officials and employees are immediately going to the locations and conducting tests. If there is any complaints, the Municipal Corporation team is reaching the spot and rectifying the problem. If there are leaks or public complaints, Municipal Corporation officials and employees are investigating. They are conducting investigations based on people's complaints and are also sending the samples to the relevant authorities," Rai said.The mayor also said a slaughterhouse in the city has been sealed after its samples were found to be incorrect, adding that action is being taken against those responsible. "The information received indicates that the slaughterhouse samples were found to be incorrect. When the slaughterhouse samples were found to be incorrect, action was taken against it. Action is being taken against the concerned officer, or a private vendor, or anyone else. Action is being taken against those involved. The slaughterhouse has been sealed," she said.Meanwhile, Congress leader Amit Sharma alleged negligence in the city’s sewage project, claiming repeated warnings were ignored. "The L2 company was given the tender for the Bhopal sewage line, which raised doubts at that time. As the councillor of that area, we complained about it several times, but none of them listened. And now, see the consequences are evident--18 people have lost their lives. Even sewage water is mixing with Narmada water, as Digvijaya ji has highlighted in his tweet. I urge officials to conduct more samples and identify the affected places," Sharma said.A day earlier, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh raised concerns over sewage water allegedly mixing into the Narmada River at Gwarighat in Jabalpur, warning that contaminated water was being supplied to residents and could lead to a major incident if immediate action was not taken.In a post on X, Singh wrote, "In Jabalpur's Gwarighat, sewage water mixes into the Narmada Ji. A Sewage Tank has been built at the ghat, which does not have a filter. That sewage water mixes into the Narmada Ji and is supplied to the people of Jabalpur from the Lalpur drinking water supply plant, which is 500 meters away; a major incident could happen in just a few days because of this. Please @CMMadhya Pradesh and @KailashOnline and @mayornnjtake note of this."The developments come amid ongoing outrage over the water contamination incident in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, where several lives were lost and many families were affected, triggering widespread criticism of civic authorities.