Governance deficit

Indore’s water tragedy highlights systemic flaws

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The reported deaths in Indore of at least 10 people, including a baby, and the hospitalisation of 200 others, after consuming contaminated water, give a grim example of the lack of preparedness and capacity to fulfil obligations — the factor that lies at the heart of India’s civic governance systems.

Ironically, this tragedy has occurred in a city that has been voted India’s cleanest city eight consecutive times since 2017. The fact that it occurred in one of the poorest areas of the city, Bhagirathpura, also points to the asymmetric access to municipal services between the rich and the poor. This, too, is characteristic of civic governance in India.