PUNE: On Tuesday, which was day three of severe waterlogging and flooding in the city, local
social media
was rife with equal measure of genuine information, rumors and fake photos.
Those looking for updates were stunned to see photos of Assam and Kerala being circulated across
WhatsApp groups and Twitter.
“Without checking, I forwarded a photograph from last year’s Kerala floods. Someone sent me the photo saying it was from a rural area near Pune,” said one resident, who is part of a WhatsApp group in the city.
Flawed updates on Twitter was also blamed for confusion over the shutting down of bridges and vital roads in the city.
“Reliable updates from civic authorities should be a vital part of local disaster management,” said Dilip Mehta, a resident of Kharadi, who said his social media feed had become inundated with queries and misinformation.
On Monday, there was much confusion among residents of the Pimpri Chinchwad municipal limits who were not aware of bridge link closures to Pune. Some residents said officials should have a better way to beam correct information. “Why did the police not broadcast an alert on social media about the closure of these bridges? We faced a long detour to reach the highway,” said Jyotiram Shendge, an Akurdi resident.
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