The rivers in Pune city are grappled with water hyacinths the Pune Municipal Corporation took up the task of clearing the hyacinths in Mula-Mutha riverbed in Kharadi. However, the residents of Manjri village allege that instead of disposing of the hyacinths which was removed from the river, the civic authorities reintroduced the hyacinths in the river in Kharadi and Mundhwa-Keshavnagar which led to numerous issues caused by water hyacinths in the Manjari Village.
Social Activist Rajendra Govind Salve, president of Akhil Manjrai Nagar Citizen Action Committee, stated, “The civic authorities have shown how insensitive they are by reintroducing the water hyacinth in the river. Manjari residents had faced mosquito menace due to the immoral act by the PMC. The efforts to clean the river bed are useless if you dump the waste back into the water.”
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The residents claim that the PMC has failed miserably in handling the water hyacinths issue earlier a video of swarms of mosquitoes hovering over the neighbourhood went viral raising concerns among the residents. The current situation in Manjari village is similar to what was previously observed in the Kharadi region, where a large buildup of water hyacinth caused a spike in mosquito activity. Mosquito infestations have affected residents of Malwadi, Kunjir Vasti, Vetal Vasti, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Satwai Nagar, and the 116 and 72 Gharkul slums in Gavthan, Manjrai Nagar region.
Mangesh Dighe, environment conservation officer, PMC stated, “The water hyacinths are being removed from the riverbeds without causing any displacement. In some cases, we have to push them into the stream as there is no other option. The hyacinths from the Kharadi area were eradicated using machines and manual labour.”
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While the social activists and residents allege that PMC of spending lakhs of rupees in removing the hyacinths no proper solution has yet determined by the civic body.