In response to the ongoing water contamination crisis in Indore's Bhagirathpura area—which has caused at least eight deaths and hundreds of illnesses from diarrhoea since late December 2025—the central government is providing financial and technical aid via AMRUT 2.0 schemes. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu shared these details in a Rajya Sabha reply on February 2, 2026.
The Bhagirathpura incident, linked to damaged pipelines from 1997 allowing sewage mixing, prompted parliamentary scrutiny. In a written reply, Minister Sahu noted that the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has identified and targeted old pipeline stretches under AMRUT 2.0. Four water supply project packages have been tendered citywide; Package-1 is underway, with others pending approval. These cover the full water supply chain—from source to distribution—with system integration and long-term maintenance for reliable supply.
Water being a state subject, the Centre supports via advisories and funding. The Madhya Pradesh government issued SOPs to urban bodies to prevent contamination. State data shows 14,181 leakages detected (12,634 repaired), 3,109 of 3,298 overhead tanks cleaned, and 86 of 179 polluted tubewells closed. Of 80,976 water samples tested, 656 failed, with action at 588 sites.
Previously under AMRUT, Indore received ₹541 crore in water schemes and ₹278 crore in sewerage. AMRUT 2.0 has sanctioned ₹1,142 crore for two water schemes and ₹534 crore for four sewerage schemes, alongside IMC's ₹1,121.54 crore water projects.
