Residents of Kharadi in Pune were left astounded when they witnessed an unusual phenomenon—an occurrence dubbed a "mosquito tornado"—swirling over the Mutha river. The video of this surreal sight was caught on camera and shared on social media, quickly going viral.
X (formerly Twitter) users expressed concerns about the potential health implications of such a large congregation of mosquitoes, highlighting their role as carriers of diseases like malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. This raised fears of a possible outbreak in the affected areas.
In response, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated thorough fogging operations and began the removal of water hyacinth from the Mutha river flowing in Kharadi.
Assistant Health Officer of PMC, Suryakant Deokar, emphasised that the breeding spots created by water hyacinth in the Mutha river were the main reason for the mosquito menace. He stated, “The main reason for the mosquito menace in Kharadi is due to the breeding spot created due to water hyacinth in the Mutha river. It's a fact that swarm mosquitoes are moving around the area but unless the breeding spots are tackled there would be no reduction in their population.”
He added that fogging operations have been undertaken in localities since February 10 to address the issue.
