In Rural Madhya Pradesh, Every Third Glass Of Drinking Water Is Unsafe: Report

In Madhya Pradesh's villages, drinking water has quietly turned into a public health weapon. A new report by the central government's Jal Jeevan Mission reveals that more than one-third of rural drinking water in the state is unfit for human consumption, exposing millions to invisible but deadly contamination.

According to the Functionality Assessment Report released on January 4, 2026, only 63.3% of water samples in Madhya Pradesh passed quality tests, compared to a national average of 76%. That means 36.7% of rural drinking water samples in the state were found unsafe, containing bacterial or chemical contamination.

The samples were collected from over 15,000 rural households across Madhya Pradesh in September-October 2024.

The situation is even more alarming in places meant to heal and protect. In government hospitals, only 12% of water samples passed microbiological safety tests, compared to a national average of 83.1%. About 88% of hospitals in Madhya Pradesh are supplying unsafe drinking water to patients.

In schools, 26.7% of samples failed microbiological tests, exposing children to contaminated water on a daily basis.

Tribal Districts Left With No Safe Water

In tribal-dominated districts such as Anuppur and Dindori, not a single water sample was found to be safe.

In Balaghat, Betul, and Chhindwara, more than 50% of water samples were contaminated.

Tap Connections Without Safe Water

In Madhya Pradesh, only 31.5% of households have tap connections, far below the national average of 70.9%.

Even where pipelines exist, the system is broken; 99.1% of villages have piped supply, but only 76.6% of households have functioning taps. That means every fourth household has a dead tap or no water at all.

Even worse, tap water does not mean safe water. In Indore district, officially declared 100% connected, only 33% of households receive safe drinking water.

Across the state, 33% of water samples failed quality tests, confirming that the crisis is not about access alone but about toxic delivery.

The central government has termed the situation a "system-generated disaster" and has warned that if water quality does not improve, funding may be reduced this year.

That warning came after a tragedy. 18 people died in Bhagirathpura, Indore, after drinking contaminated water. 429 people were hospitalised, of which 16 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and three on ventilators.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has now formally recognised the crisis as a public health emergency. In its order, the court stated that "the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to clean drinking water" and that the present situation falls within the ambit of a public health emergency.