Community health expert Amulya Nidhi, associated with Jan swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI), says the situation in Indore's Bhagirathpura has crossed beyond physical illness and entered psychological and systemic collapse.
Bhopal:
Sixteen people have already died in Bhagirathpura after consuming contaminated drinking water in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, officially India's "cleanest city."
More than 1,400 residents have fallen ill. Several are still battling for life in hospitals.
Now, the tragedy has taken a disturbing new turn.
A 67-year-old woman from Bhagirathpura, Parvati Bai Kondla, shows symptoms of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) a rare, potentially fatal neurological disorder that attacks the body's nerves, raising fears that the water contamination has caused not just gastrointestinal illness, but long-term, irreversible neurological damage.
Parvati, who is on a ventilator, is undergoing dialysis due to kidney failure. And her nervous system is failing.
She first fell ill on the night of December 27. She had vomiting and loose motions. The next day, she was admitted to a private hospital. Her condition deteriorated rapidly. Her limbs became weak. Her reflexes disappeared. She could no longer breathe on her own.
On January 2, she was shifted to Bombay Hospital, Indore.
A Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) carried out at Alpha Brain Study Centre in Indore found clear evidence of acute nerve injury. The findings show, reduced muscle response (CMAP) in both peroneal nerves, absent sensory nerve signals in both legs, absent late nerve responses and a pattern consistent with acute inflammatory nerve damage, not age-related degeneration.
A senior AIIMS neurologist said,"This is an acute process. This does not happen slowly over the years. It is often triggered by infections, toxins or immune reactions. In the context of a water contamination outbreak, this is medically significant and deeply concerning."
GBS is a rare autoimmune condition where the body's immune system attacks its own nerves. It often follows gastrointestinal or viral infections. About 10% of patients may die. Many suffer long-term disability. Treatment involves intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) injections costing around Rs 30,000 per dose. Patients often need 5-10 doses. Total cost per patient can reach Rs 10-15 lakh.
For families already devastated by illness and job losses, this is financially crushing.
Despite the medical evidence, the state health administration is denying any confirmed link.
Indore Chief Medical & Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Hasnani said, "GBS is a neurological disease caused by various factors, including viruses. A single test is not enough. It is a clinical diagnosis. We have not received any such report officially. We are monitoring all patients daily."
However, Parvati's treating physician Dr Rahul Karode said,"She was admitted with acute gastroenteritis and kidney injury. Her blood pressure was very low. Loose motions improved but reflexes were diminished. NCS showed changes consistent with GBS. We referred her because our hospital does not have advanced facilities. We informed the administration as per instructions."
Community health expert Amulya Nidhi, associated with Jan swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI), says the situation in Bhagirathpura has crossed beyond physical illness and entered psychological and systemic collapse.
"This cannot be treated as a simple diarrhoeal outbreak anymore. We are seeing systemic effects neurological, immunological and mental. This suggests the contamination was far more severe," he said.
He refers to the 2019 CAG report, reported by NDTV which said 5.45 lakh cases of waterborne diseases in Bhopal and Indore alone and alleges that at least 50,000 cases of diarrhoea and waterborne illness per district every year.
"In October alone, 200 people fell ill in Barwani due to contaminated water but nobody paid attention," he said.
The Madhya Pradesh government had taken a $200 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for water management with strict conditions. One of those conditions was, Water audits every 15 days and regular water quality testing.
"These were ADB conditions," Amulya Nidhi said. "They were not optional. How is the remaining 57 litres being managed? Through borewells, tankers, unsafe sources and nobody is tracking quality," he said.
He also demanded that the health department should release district-wise data on waterborne diseases for all 52 districts and it be made public under the Public Health Act.