Overview
- Calling the state response "insensitive," the Indore bench sought a fresh, detailed status report and directed Chief Secretary Anurag Jain to appear via video conference on January 15.
- The court ordered an immediate stop to supply from identified contaminated pipelines and sources, government-funded tanker deliveries, and free treatment for affected residents at government and empanelled private hospitals.
- Preventive directives include comprehensive testing by NABL-accredited labs, repair and replacement of ageing lines—especially where sewer and water pipes run parallel—strict chlorination, installation of online water-quality monitoring, and a long-term safety plan.
- Officials reported 38 new diarrhoea and vomiting cases on Monday and 110 patients currently hospitalised, while death tallies differ across agencies, prompting judicial scrutiny of the numbers.
- Partial lab findings cited fecal contamination with E. coli, Klebsiella and Vibrio cholerae, and state surveillance officers said samples from both the Narmada pipeline and borewells showed contamination, complicating source attribution for now.