₹4,000 crore spent, yet no clean water: JSAI survey exposes Madhya Pradesh’s urban crisis

By A Representative 

A recent citizen survey conducted by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has exposed a critical public health crisis in Madhya Pradesh’s major urban centers, revealing that a staggering 89% of Indore’s population lacks access to 24x7 water supply. The report, released in the wake of the devastating contamination tragedy in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area, paints a grim picture of urban infrastructure where residents in both Indore and Bhopal are forced to consume water they do not trust. 

As of January 16, 2026, the ongoing crisis in Bhagirathpura has claimed 24 lives and left over 400 people ill, highlighting a systemic failure in providing safe drinking water—a service the state and local bodies are constitutionally obligated to ensure.

Compiled by activists Amulya Nidhi, Rehmat Mansury, and Sudha Tiwari, the survey involved over 200 residents across 13 zones of the Indore Municipal Corporation and dozens of participants in Bhopal. The findings indicate that 60% of respondents in Indore express significant doubts regarding the safety of their drinking water, while nearly 40% admitted to suffering from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, jaundice, and chronic diarrhea. The situation in the state capital, Bhopal, was found to be equally precarious, with almost all surveyed residents reporting similar concerns about supply consistency and quality.

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The report raises sharp questions regarding the massive financial investments made over the last two decades. Despite a ₹1,365 crore loan from the Asian Development Bank in 2004 specifically aimed at 24x7 water supply, and an additional ₹3,000 crore spent under the AMRUT 1.0 and 2.0 schemes between 2015 and 2025, the promised infrastructure remains largely invisible to the common citizen. 

JSAI representatives have criticized the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, arguing that the privatization of water distribution has weakened public oversight and led to a dangerous neglect of public health in favor of service delivery metrics.

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In response to these findings, JSAI has submitted its preliminary report to the Registrar of the High Court, demanding an independent investigation into the Bhagirathpura incident and a declaration of a public health emergency. The group’s demands include the immediate implementation of continuous pressurized water supplies, strict adherence to national quality manuals to eliminate bacteriological contamination, and an independent third-party evaluation of all sanitation systems. Furthermore, the Abhiyan has called for a compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of the deceased, arguing that the government’s current ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh is woefully inadequate given the gravity of the negligence.

The activists, including Dr. G.D. Verma, Rahul Yadav, and Sajida Khan, have urged the state government to move beyond localized fixes and conduct a comprehensive, large-scale audit of the water supply status in all major cities. They emphasize that safe water is a fundamental right, and the current reliance on aging, leaking pipelines—often running parallel to sewage lines—must be addressed through a transparent and accountable overhaul of the municipal water management system.