Indore water contamination: Infant born after 10-year wait dies; family rejects government compensation

A child born after 10 years of fervent prayers and vows died within days due to water contamination that has claimed several lives in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city.

An eerie silence prevailed in an alley in the Marathi Mohalla of the Bhagirathpura area, where six-month-old Avyan Sahu lived with his family. A simple act of diluting packaged milk with water cost the baby his life and plunged the Sahu family into unbearable grief.

The family claims it has rejected the government’s compensation for the death of the child, who was born after 10 years of prayers and vows. The government has announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased persons.

Residents have claimed that 15 people died due to the vomiting-diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura over the last year, with Avyan being the youngest among them. The health department, however, has not confirmed this claim and said only four deaths occurred in the outbreak.

Talking to PTI on Friday (January 2, 2025), Avyan’s grandmother, Krishna Sahu, said, “We have not taken any compensation from the State Government so far. Our child is gone. Will the compensation bring him back to life? Money is not greater than a child.” According to the family, Avyan died on December 29, 2025. She said, “Her daughter gave birth to Avyan after 10 years of prayers and vows.”

“The entire family prayed for his birth and made a vow at Hussain Tekri Dargah. My prayers were answered, but I never imagined that the baby would leave us so soon,” she said in tears. Krishna Sahu said the child was healthy and had put on five kgs.

“He played in his mother’s lap. One day, he suddenly started suffering from diarrhoea and, on a doctor’s advice, we started with medicines at home. His condition, however, worsened, and he was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” she said. “Due to insufficient breast milk, the infant was given packaged milk and milk powder mixed with water from the municipal tap,” she added

Mr. Sahu alleged that the water was contaminated and proved fatal for the child.

Anita Sen, a neighbour, said, “There is a one-month-old girl, a four-year-old child, and a 10-year-old girl in my house. Now the government should ensure that no mother is robbed of a child due to contaminated water.” More than 1,400 people have been affected by vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura over the past nine days.

According to the health department, 272 patients were admitted to hospitals in the area till Thursday (January 1, 2025), of whom 71 have been discharged. At least 32 patients currently hospitalised are undergoing treatment in intensive care units, it was stated.