Indian captain Shubman Gill reportedly brought a water purification system worth Rs 3 lakh to Indore for the third and final ODI series against New Zealand. The news comes amid a serious health crisis in Indore that has claimed the lives of as many as 23 people.
Several media reports from the city claimed that Shubman installed the system in his hotel room because he was in no mood to risk his health. The Indian cricket team usually stays in the best hotels in every city they travel to, where they are provided with bottled drinking water. However, according to reports, Gill went a notch higher and took matters into his own hands.
Indore’s water crisis
In late December 2025 and early January 2026, a serious public health crisis erupted in the Bhagirathpura area of Indore after sewage contamination entered the city’s drinking water supply, triggering a large-scale outbreak of water-borne diseases that claimed at least 23 lives.
The outbreak was traced to a leak in a pipe carrying treated water from the Narmada supply system. The investigation revealed that the damaged section was located under or dangerously close to a sewer line or public toilet, allowing fecal matter and harmful bacteria, including E. coli and other pathogens, to seep into the drinking water network. As a result, contaminated water was supplied to thousands of residents within days.
Residents reported foul-smelling and discolored water long before the extent of the crisis became apparent. Soon after, cases of acute diarrhea, vomiting, and severe dehydration erupted, flooding nearby hospitals and health centers. Medical staff were forced to treat patients in large numbers as the epidemic escalated rapidly.
More than 1,400 people were affected, hundreds required hospitalization. While authorities initially confirmed only a few deaths directly related to the contaminated water, subsequent assessments confirmed a significantly higher death toll as the death toll mounted.
The incident has raised serious questions about infrastructure maintenance, water quality monitoring and the speed of official response despite early warning signals from residents. Later, extraordinary measures were implemented, including the interruption of water supply in the affected areas, the distribution of clean drinking water and large-scale disinfection drives.
The Bhagirathpura contamination case represents one of the city’s most serious water crises in recent years, highlighting the urgent need for stronger safeguards to prevent sewage from leaking into drinking water systems.
India vs New Zealand in Indore
India traveled to Indore with the series level at 1-1. After winning the first match, India faltered in Rajkot where Daryl Mitchell scored a mammoth hundred to beat the hosts by seven wickets. The ODI in Indore will be India’s last for the next five months. After the match, India will focus on T20I cricket before the World Cup.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
January 17, 2026