MLAs skip Indore water crisis meeting, minister quips: ‘Perhaps no problem in their areas’

A meeting convened on Thursday by Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya to prepare Indore for a looming water crisis saw a majority of elected representatives from the district stay away.

Vijayvargiya, who called the meeting to review water availability and draw up a contingency plan after below-normal rainfall, responded to questions about the absentees by saying: “Ask those who didn’t come, why are you asking me? It is festival season, too.”

When pointed out that only four of nine MLAs attended the session, he said, “Perhaps there is no water problem in their areas.”

The meeting was attended by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava and BJP MLAs Madhu Verma, Mahendra Hardia and Ramesh Mendola.

The absence of several representatives was notable as the meeting was called to prepare for a potential citywide shortage rather than address a problem confined to a particular constituency.

The minister, however, did not publicly attribute their absence to political differences.

The Congress, though, latched on to this absence with its state president Jitu Patwari saying, “The country’s first Water Plus City, that is, our Indore is on the brink of a historic water crisis! But, Indore MLAs, who are proudly strutting about thanks to your (citizens’) votes, couldn’t care less.”

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The meeting comes amid concerns over a weak monsoon in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in the Malwa-Nimar region.

‘Can already hear warning signs of a crisis’

Vijayvargiya said rainfall this year was around 40 per cent below average, raising the prospect of water shortages in the coming months. Indore normally receives around 38-40 inches of rain annually but had recorded 23.20 inches this year, according to figures discussed at the meeting.

“We can already hear the warning signs of a water crisis, and we must start preparing now,” Vijayvargiya said, urging residents to conserve water and asking officials to identify vulnerable areas “before the shortage becomes acute”.

The administration is considering measures including closer monitoring of borewells, water conservation campaigns, and arrangements for tanker supplies.

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The political backdrop of the issue is significant for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs the state as well as the Indore Municipal Corporation.

The possibility of water shortages comes after the city’s drinking water system was at the centre of a major public controversy following the contamination incident in Bhagirathpura in December 2025, in which 15 residents died and hundreds were hospitalised.