Tea shops, homes shift entirely to mineral water in Bhagirathpura:Residents abandon tap, tanker supply; crisis worsens after Indore contaminated water deaths

The financial burden has increased a lot, but nothing is more important than life. Right now, water is not coming from the tap, we are only using the boring water for tasks like bathing and washing clothes. The are the words of Dharmendra Singh, a resident of Bhagirathpura in Indore. His voice reflects the fear gripping the area after at least 20 deaths linked to contaminated water. Like many others in the locality, Dharmendra and his family have completely stopped drinking tap, tanker, or borewell water. The family now spends around ₹40 daily on mineral water bottles for drinking and cooking. Borewell water is used only for bathing and washing clothes. He asks, Water is not coming from the tap. We don’t trust tanker water either. How can we risk our children’s lives? Dharmendra is not alone. Almost every household in Bhagirathpura has shifted to bottled or jar water, triggering a sharp rise in mineral water consumption across Indore. Read the full report.. Mineral water consumption rises across city The Bhagirathpura tragedy has reignited concerns about drinking water safety citywide. Demand for packaged drinking water, both branded and local, has risen by 20 to 30 percent in the past 10 days. Bisleri distributor Ravikant Verma says consumption has jumped significantly. He said, There are many new customers. Even areas where clean water supply exists are now ordering jars and bottles because people don’t want to take any risk. Customers are mainly ordering 5-litre bottles and 20-litre jars. The fear is especially high among students living in hostels. Families from outside Indore are calling distributors after searching online, requesting urgent delivery for their children. Many are willing to pay extra to ensure supply reaches areas outside regular routes. December sees sharp rise in water supply Bisleri’s MP Sales Head Harshvardhan Singh Thakur said the numbers show a clear shift in consumer behaviour. In November, we sold around 70,000 boxes, which equals 8.4 lakh litres. In December, this rose to 1.3 lakh boxes or 15.6 lakh litres. The increase of 20–25 percent came within just one and a half to two weeks. Thakur added that hostel students and homemakers are the most cautious customers. Thakur added, Students spend around ₹200 daily on food. They don’t hesitate to buy a ₹20 bottle for safety. Many also insist food vendors use clean water. Indore has over 200 small and large packaged water plants. Their sales have also increased by 25 to 30 percent, even during a season when demand usually drops due to cold and rain. Bhagirathpura: Fear, silence, and shut taps Walking through Bhagirathpura’s narrow lanes, fear is visible everywhere. Taps outside homes remain unlocked but unused for days. Residents say trust has broken completely. Dharmendra Singh, who runs a small general store from home, says daily expenses have increased sharply. He says, One camper of water costs ₹40 and gets used in a day. We cook and drink from it. For many families, even this expense is unaffordable. Several residents are boiling water before drinking it, despite lingering fear. Satish Sangle, another resident, says anxiety hasn’t eased even after treatment. He said, I feel a strange pain in my stomach. I took medicine from Sanjeevani Clinic, but the fear remains. We are drinking only boiled water. Mineral water demand jumps 5 times locally The water crisis has changed the local economy. Mineral water sellers report a sudden surge in demand. Kamal Parmar, who runs an RO plant near Bhagirathpura outpost, says supply has multiplied. ‘Earlier, we sold 20–25 cans a day. Now it’s 100–125,’ he said. Previously, deliveries were done only in the morning. Phones ring continuously with new orders. Parmar added, Now vehicles go out twice a day. There are four RO plants in this area and demand has increased almost five times everywhere. Tea shops and hotels switch to bottled water The fear has spread beyond homes to commercial establishments. Tea stalls, eateries, and small hotels in Bhagirathpura have stopped using borewell or tap water. Laxmi Patel, who runs a food stall at Bhagirathpura intersection, said mineral water is now used for cooking. She said, Earlier we cooked with borewell water. Now we use mineral water only. Two campers are used daily. Drinking water is served only in sealed bottles. There are more than 25 tea shops in the area. Mineral water crates are now visible at all of them. ‘Tea made with Bisleri’ to regain trust At Topilal’s popular hotel near the intersection, manager Tushar Verma says customer footfall dropped after the deaths. ‘People ask what water we use even before ordering tea,’ he said. To reassure customers, tea is prepared in front of them using Bisleri water. Filtered water is used to prepare samosa dough. ‘Earlier we used two cartons of Bisleri daily. Now it’s 12–15 cartons,’ he said. Ram Kumar, another hotel operator, said, I’ve been running this shop for seven years. Tea was always made with tap water. Now the situation is very bad. Administration’s measures fail to restore trust The administration has deployed over 40 water tankers in the area. Large tanks have been placed in narrow lanes where tankers cannot reach. To reassure residents, the Collector publicly drank tanker water. Despite these steps, fear persists. Continuous deaths and new patients have eroded public confidence. Residents use tanker water only for cleaning, not for drinking or cooking. For now, Bhagirathpura’s residents remain caught between fear and financial strain—choosing bottled water as the only option they believe is safe.