Days after residents of VTP Alpine society in Mhalunge spotted red bloodworms in water, residents of Blue Ridge Society in Pune’s Hinjewadi conducted a silent protest followed by a hunger strike on Saturday to highlight the pollution of Mula river, which supplies water to them.
For the unversed, a few weeks ago, residents had come across red bloodworms in drinking water supplied through the taps. In the last few days, residents have complained of health issues related to consumption of contaminated water.
The video of the water infested with red larvae was posted by ecologist Jaideep Bafna on X. Although normally present in the river, he added that the dark red colour of the worms shows the bad water quality. The residents of the Blue Ridge Society have been raising alarms over the larvae and bad water quality on X. In a video posted on X earlier this month, they claimed that the water from the nearby construction sites has led to pollution of the river stretch near them, which is leading to contaminated water in the society.
"Mula river is the only source of drinking water for around 15,000 residents. When the township was built in 2010, river water was very clean. Over the years, pollution in the Mula river has now risen to alarming levels. This year, hyacinth is growing at a rapid pace," claimed one resident.