Bhopal, Nov. 6 -- Madhya Pradesh is facing a mounting garbage and water crisis as a statewide strike by municipal employees entered its third day on Friday, disrupting sanitation and water supply in several cities.

In Bhopal alone, around 2,550 tonnes of waste has piled up on roads, from residential neighbourhoods to markets, as more than 6,000 municipal employees joined the protest over demands including higher wages, regularisation and an end to the contract system.

The strike has affected several cities, including Jabalpur and Gwalior, while Indore has remained unaffected.

More than one lakh municipal employees across Madhya Pradesh are participating in the protest. In Indore, sanitation workers had gone on strike in October, which ...