The deaths linked to contaminated tap water in Indore are not merely a tragic municipal failure; they expose a deeper contradiction at the heart of India’s urban governance. A city celebrated repeatedly for cleanliness has revealed, in the most brutal way possible, how fragile that reputation can be when infrastructure, accountability and public health oversight do not keep pace with accolades.

At the centre of this tragedy is a familiar but deadly lapse: sewage entering drinking water lines due to neglected or poorly maintained pipelines. What makes the incident particularly disturbing is not just the number of lives lost ~ the toll still conflicting between official statements and local accounts ~ but the fact that residents had reportedly complained of foul-smelling, contaminated water weeks before the outbreak escalated. The warning signs were there. They were simply ignored. Urban India often treats water supply as a logistical issue rather than a public........

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