The second half of September 1994 was an inflection point for Surat, an industrial hub for textiles and diamond-cutting units in Gujarat, which till this day attracts migrants from all over the country in search of work. It was a time when this commercial city was devastated by the pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis which can spread from one person to another through the air.
This particular bacteria “is transmitted to humans through the bites of fleas that have previously fed on infected animals” such as rats and other animals, according to a Mayo Clinic explainer. Although a government-appointed investigation committee observed that the source of this outbreak was “ecological disturbances” caused by the earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra, a year earlier, conditions in Surat were extremely ripe for its spread.
Back in September 1994, only a third of the city was covered by drainage systems, piped drinking water and a working…