3 dead, 150 fall ill after consuming polluted water in central India

At least three people died and nearly 150 were taken ill after consuming contaminated water in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh over the past few days, confirmed local officials on Wednesday.



All the deceased died due to diarrhoea. The victims, in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, reportedly had consumed water supplied from river Narmada.



The death toll was feared to rise as some of the patients admitted to various hospitals were said to be in critical condition.



Various media reports quoted different death tolls. An online report by "The Hindu" newspaper claimed that five persons had died while over 1,000 had fallen ill due to contaminated water supplied from the municipal pipeline in Indore.



Another media report by "India Today" claimed that the death toll had reached 7. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered the suspension of a few officials in departments concerned with water supply, and set up a committee of senior officers to investigate the incident.