Indore water systems built by kings failed by system:1850s epidemics forced reforms, droughts in 1900 refined planning and supply; Narmada water in 1978 fueled city’s all-round growth

The recent deaths of more than twenty people in Bhagirathpura after consuming contaminated drinking water have forced Indore to confront an uncomfortable reality. This was not always a city struggling with unsafe drinking water. For more than two centuries, Indore’s rulers, engineers and administrators treated water supply and drainage as matters of survival, health and governance. The present crisis stands in stark contrast to that legacy. Bhaskar English delved into archival documents, historical maps and engineering records, along with long-term historical research by Zafar Ansari, to reconstruct Indore’s water journey from its earliest sources to the Narmada era. Early 18th century: rivers, armies and Bawadi’s In the early 1700s, Indore was a modest settlement whose water needs were met by the Kanh and Saraswati rivers, supported by wells and Bawadi’s spread across the riverbanks. This system evolved during a time when Maratha and Mughal armies frequently camped near the Chandrabhaga river. Water was required not only for soldiers but also for horses, elephants and livestock. Guru Nanak Dev ji believed to have meditated on river’s bank Clean drinking water was transported by bhishtis using leather bags, while Bawadi’s ensured perennial access. Many Maratha- and Mughal-era Bawadi’s still survive in old Indore. The same riverbank also holds spiritual significance: Guru Nanak Dev Ji is believed to have meditated beneath a tamarind tree here, later leading to the establishment of Imli Sahib Gurdwara. Sanitation, however, remained primitive. There was no organised drainage system; waste disposal relied on open defecation covered with ash, a limitation common to towns of that era. Mid-19th century: disease and the need for reform By the mid-1800s, Indore had expanded into a congested town. Open drains carried wastewater through streets, contaminating wells and triggering repeated cholera outbreaks. Entire neighbourhoods were periodically abandoned as residents fled disease. This period marks Indore’s first major urban health crisis. Migration caused by disease was seen as a threat to the city’s survival, and that fear pushed the Holkar state toward structured civic reform. says Zafar Ansari, historian. Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar II initiated municipal reforms after studying Bombay’s civic systems. In 1855, British waterworks engineer Macmahan was invited to design Indore’s first organised drinking water scheme. After extensive surveys of rivers, wells, Bawadi’s and tanks, he proposed a stone masonry dam at Pipliyapala and a canal-based supply to Kagadipura via Lalbagh. By 1866, piped water reached select homes, an exceptional achievement for its time. The municipal framework was formally implemented in 1870. Macmahan was later killed during the 1857 uprising, leaving behind a system that became the foundation of modern Indore’s water supply. 1888–1900: droughts reshape water policy The closing years of the 19th century brought repeated droughts. Rain failures dried wells and Bawadi’s by late winter, tanks lost their water, crops failed and rural migration intensified. These droughts permanently altered state priorities. Water storage and filtration were no longer optional improvements; they became political necessities, says Zafar Ansari, historian. Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar responded by strengthening Sirpur Talab. Its embankment was raised by 15 feet, widened and deepened, and a filtration station was installed to supply purified water to old Indore. Despite these measures, per capita supply remained limited, barely three gallons per person per day until 1913. Early 20th century: reservoirs and drainage planning As Indore continued to grow, Bilawali and Limbodi reservoirs were added, increasing supply to around 12 gallons per person per day. The Bilawali Talab, planned in 1905 and completed around 1914, reflected the state’s attempt to keep pace with urban expansion. Unlike many Indian cities, Indore historically treated drainage as integral to public health. In 1928, a Rs 13 lakh plan was approved to replace open drains with a gravity-based covered sewer system. Work began in 1929. In 1940, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, India’s one of the foremost civil engineers, advised a fully underground, citywide sewer network, with waste transported far from habitation and reused for agriculture. 1939: Yashwant Sagar and the peak of planning The most ambitious phase came under Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II. By 1939, the comprehensive ‘Water Supply and Drainage System for the City of Indore’ was completed. A major dam was constructed on the Gambhir river, 14 miles from the city, later named Yashwant Sagar Dam. Water was pumped 150 feet upward and then supplied by gravity after continuous filtration and quality testing. Drinking water lines and sewage lines were laid separately to eliminate the risk of contamination. Hundreds of cast-iron fire hydrants were installed across narrow lanes, placing Indore among the best-prepared Indian cities of the time. The strict separation of sewage and drinking water lines was non-negotiable. That single principle protected Indore for decades, says Zafar Ansari, historian. Post-Independence: population pressure and the Narmada turn After Independence, Indore emerged as the commercial capital of the region. Migration surged, industries expanded and water demand rose sharply. By the 1960s, summer shortages became severe. This culminated in the unprecedented citywide agitation of August 8, 1970, demanding Narmada water. Markets, transport, factories and institutions shut down, amplifying the movement nationwide. After prolonged technical and financial challenges, water from the Narmada River finally reached Indore in 1978, transforming water-starved localities such as Saket Nagar. The present: collapse of a legacy Today’s Bhagirathpura tragedy marks a painful rupture with this history. Aging pipelines, neglected drainage, illegal cross-connections and weak oversight have dismantled safeguards built over centuries. This crisis is not caused by lack of water or lack of knowledge. It is the result of abandoning systems that once worked. Indore’s history proves that safe water is a matter of governance and discipline. says, Ansari. Indore’s water story is one of foresight followed by forgetting. Bhagirathpura is not an accident of fate, it is the consequence of losing respect for a carefully built past.