On Thursday, while taking cognisance of repeated incidents of water-borne illness and fatalities linked to municipal water supply, the National Green Tribunal, Central Zone Bench at Bhopal, has flagged systemic contamination of drinking water across urban Madhya Pradesh, holding that the issue raises “a substantial question relating to the environment and public health” with direct constitutional overtones. The Tribunal cautioned that failures in infrastructure, monitoring, and regulatory compliance have pushed the State towards a public health emergency.
The case arose from two original applications alleging contamination of potable water supplied to urban populations across Madhya Pradesh, including a severe outbreak in Indore in December 2025. Despite water being sourced from rivers, reservoirs, and dams, testing repeatedly revealed faecal coliform, E. coli, Vibrio species, and protozoa even in treated water meant for human consumption. The Tribunal noted that such findings point to sewage intrusion into distribution systems, aggravated by ageing pipelines, unsafe alignment of water and sewer lines, intermittent supply creating negative pressure, and inadequate maintenance of overhead tanks and sump wells.
The Applicants contended that long-standing neglect of public health engineering norms and non-implementation of national technical manuals had resulted in recurring contamination events. They pointed to delayed disclosure of contamination, continued supply of unsafe water, and lack of preventive surveillance as violations of statutory duties under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. In the Indore incident, it was asserted that administrative inaction persisted despite repeated complaints, culminating in mass hospitalisation and multiple deaths, including infants and elderly residents.
The Bench, comprising Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Ishwar Singh, observed that“The gravity of the issue is compounded by the lack of continuous water quality monitoring, inadequate maintenance of overhead tanks and sump wells, and failure to adopt preventive surveillance measures, despite clear guidance provided under national technical manuals issued by the Government of India.”
The Tribunal recorded that contamination in treated water “clearly indicates sewage intrusion into potable water distribution systems,” attributable to persistent infrastructural failures and non-compliance with public health engineering norms. The Tribunal also took note of national data indicating nearly 2,00,000 annual deaths due to contaminated drinking water and warned of escalating risks as water demand rises.
Holding that contamination of drinking water violates the Water Act, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and Article 21 of the Constitution, the Tribunal issued a series of State-wide directions. These include development of a 24×7 consumer-facing mobile application for water complaints, elimination of transmission losses through pipeline repairs, removal of encroachments around water bodies, mandatory chlorination and metering, regulation of construction during summer months, protection and regeneration of water sources, prohibition on idol immersion, relocation of large dairies outside city limits, and public disclosure of water quality data through strengthened MIS and GIS-based mapping.
A Joint Committee led by the State Pollution Control Board has been constituted to inspect affected sites and submit a factual and action-taken report within six weeks. The matters are listed for further hearing on 30 March 2026.
Case Title: Mr. Rashid Noor Khan v. Collector, Indore & Ors.
Case No.: Original Application No.05/2026(CZ)
Coram: Hon’ble Justice Sheo Kumar Singh, Judicial Member Hon'ble Ishwar Singh, Expert Member
Advocate for the Petitioner: Adv. Harshwardhan Tiwari, Harpreet Singh Gupta, Pratipal Singh Gupta, Nancy Chaturved
Advocate for the Respondent: None
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