Residents of Blue Ridge Township in Pune's Hinjawadi were alarmed to discover numerous Chironomid larvae in their drinking water, with many stuck on the sediment filter of a resident’s purifier.
Chironomid larvae, commonly known as “non-biting midges” as adults and “bloodworms” in their larval stage, are closely related to mosquitoes.
The resident recorded a video of the incident and shared it with a user named Jaideep Baphna (@jbaphna) on X (formerly Twitter), who subsequently posted it on X on February 15. Baphna’s post sparked a discussion among social media users.
Expressing concern over the situation, Baphna stated, “If these mosquito cousins have reached Wakad and Hinjawadi, it means the river is slowly losing its capacity to fight back.” He also mentioned that approximately 20% of the 800 flats in the township have reported the presence of these red-hued larvae, indicating potential water quality issues.
"While this is happening, instead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), cleaning the water, they are focussed on useless concretisation under Riverfront Development (RFD). Such projects destroy riparian ecology and worsen these issues. Pune Municipal Commissioner has repeatedly ignored citizen pleas to stop the destruction of riverbanks through RFD and prioritise water, sewage, drainage, garbage, hyacinth, mosquitoes, malaria, dengue, and numerous other issues," wrote Baphna.
Meanwhile, X users expressed concern over the Chironomid larvae finding in the drinking water. A user sarcastically remarked, "Waah. This is happening in Hinjawadi IT Park. One of the most developed areas of Pune. Well done administration." "Finding them in the water filter is frightening. Take care, Pune," wrote another user. While another user pointed out that the area "doesn't come under either PMC or PCMC; it is under Hinjawadi Gram Panchayat".
Check out the reactions below:
