2020s – Indore repeatedly wins the title of India’s cleanest city, a reputation that later contrasts sharply with the 2025‑2026 water contamination crisis[13].

Dec 24, 2025 – Contamination of the municipal water supply in Bhagirathpura triggers vomiting and diarrhoea cases, marking the start of the outbreak that later spreads to thousands of residents[19].

Dec 30, 2025 – Officials confirm five deaths and over 1,000 illnesses, identify a leak near a toilet on the main line as the likely source, announce ₹2 lakh compensation for each deceased family and open a tender for a new water pipeline to replace the aging network[19][19].

Dec 31, 2025 – The death toll rises to ten, more than 2,000 people fall ill, the state dismisses an in‑charge sub‑engineer and suspends two senior engineers, and a three‑member probe panel headed by Navjeevan Panwar is formed to investigate the crisis and the stalled AMRUT tender[18][18].

Jan 1, 2026 – Bacterial contamination is detected in 26 of 70 water samples, prompting a full line cleaning, chlorine distribution and a National Human Rights Commission suo‑motu notice demanding a report within two weeks; simultaneously, 212 patients are hospitalised, Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya tells a journalist to stop asking “free” questions, later apologises, and the Chief Minister labels the outbreak an “emergency‑like” situation[16][16][17][17].

Jan 2, 2026 – The official death count remains at four while residents and opposition claim up to 15–14 deaths, including six‑month‑old Avyan Sahu whose family rejects the ₹2 lakh ex‑gratia; the National Human Rights Commission orders a detailed report, senior officials are suspended or dismissed, and Union Minister Tokhan Sahu announces AMRUT 2.0 funding for pipeline replacement[12][7][14].

Jan 3, 2026 – Six deaths and more than 200 hospitalisations are reported; Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava says he has information on ten deaths, the municipal commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav is transferred and two senior officials are suspended, while the district administration maintains an official toll of five deaths[9][10].

Jan 5, 2026 – Health teams screen 9,416 residents, uncover 20 new diarrhoea cases and a total of 398 admissions, while a National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections (NIRBI) team arrives with ICMR support; Congress protests demand a judicial inquiry and the Dewas sub‑divisional magistrate is suspended for copying a party memorandum[6][6].

Jan 6, 2026 – Real‑time Kobo surveys reach 14,000 people, detect 38 fresh cases and raise the official death toll to seven; ambulances, free private care and distribution of ORS, zinc tablets and water droppers are deployed to the affected households[5].

Jan 10, 2026 – Eight deaths are confirmed as the court takes up the case, IIT Bombay expert Pradip Kalbar highlights systemic gaps in urban water management, and residents continue to dispute the official toll and safety of the tap water[4][4].

Feb 3, 2026 – The Union government acknowledges the diarrhoea outbreak in Parliament, pledges AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 financial and technical support, earmarks 1997‑era pipelines for replacement, reports 14,181 leakages repaired and launches four water‑supply tenders (Package‑1 underway, three awaiting approval) with ₹1.12 billion allocated for two new schemes[3][3].