Daijiworld Media Network - Indore
Indore, Jan 9: Two years after receiving Rs 4 lakh as pending dues following the closure of Hukumchand Mill in 1991, 79-year-old Digambar Wade has now been handed a Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque by the Madhya Pradesh government for the death of his wife Manjula Wade (75), who died after consuming contaminated water in Indore, officially ranked as India’s cleanest city.
Digambar, a father of three married daughters, said the contaminated water supply shattered his plans of spending peaceful years with his wife. “We had dreams of going on religious pilgrimages and reliving memories of our younger days. Dirty water has taken everything away,” he said.
Recalling the ordeal, Digambar said that for the past two to three years, dirty water initially flowed from taps in Bhagirathpura locality, before turning potable. However, on December 28, 2025, the water remained murky and had an extremely bitter taste.
“The next day, my wife started vomiting and suffered from loose motions. The administration rushed her to the hospital, but she passed away on the night of December 30,” he said.
Digambar now represents 18 families in Bhagirathpura who have lost their loved ones due to the diarrhoeal outbreak triggered by contaminated water.
In a nearby lane, 56-year-old Shobha Panwar sat beside the garlanded photograph of her husband Ashok Lal Panwar, who died on December 26. “My husband and son Rahul worked as daily wage labourers. Now Rahul alone has to run the family. My monthly disability pension of Rs 600 has not been credited for a year,” she said.
In ward number 11, the extended Barede family mourns the loss of its eldest member Jiwan Lal (80), who died on December 28. “He vomited the entire night, just like three other members of our family. While they survived, he did not. My mother-in-law is in deep shock,” said Radha (62).
About a kilometre away, two houses facing each other tell a story of neighbours bound like family. Elderly auto-driver Banshilal Kushwah’s wife Kaushalya was rushed to hospital by her daughters-in-law and survived. However, she returned to learn that her neighbour and Rakhi brother, retired railway employee Nandlal Pal, had died.
“Nandlal bhaiya lost his wife 15 years ago and had been unwell for years. His son Siddharth, a cab driver, was away in Omkareshwar when he fell ill. My younger son Ashish rushed him to hospital, but he could not be saved,” Kaushalya said.
The water contamination incident has left several families shattered, raising serious questions over civic infrastructure and public health safety in the city.