Vehicle users and pedestrians who pass through Nallammal Colony can feel the stench emanating from the 10-feet-wide garbage-filled sewage canal that now stands reduced to 2 feet.

Households and commercial establishments in corporation ward 14 generate more than 2 tonnes of waste every day. Due to inadequate bins and sanitary workers, garbage is dumped in the open sewage channel says, S. Santhi, a resident from Nallammal Colony. “The corporation is yet to regularize these workers who receive nominal salaries. They clean the garbage only once in a month. Besides, the garbage heap, the clogged drains too pose health hazards. I can’t stand outside my house for even a minute. The place is full of mosquitoes,” she adds.

“Without proper drainage facility, garbage stagnates in the streets, which have become a breeding hub for mosquitoes. In our area, many children are affected by malaria,” says a resident of Nallammla Colony.

Residents of Kovil Medu complain that, apart from the poor basic amenities, their area is very unsafe. At dusk, a gang arrives near the bridge and starts drinking. They start harassing women who pass by the bridge. “We have given a complaint to the police, but nothing was done yet,” says, Karthick, a College Student.

The stray dog problem is very severe in Kamarajar Street and Nallammal Colony. The residents said that there were about 60 dogs in the area. The Corporation took these dogs away to sterilize them. “We tried to sterilize them, but that has only worsened the condition. We are now trying to remove them,” K. Balakrishnan, Councillor of Kovil Medu Ward 14, says. “Police are looking into the gang trouble. Garbage problem is universal in Coimbatore. There is no way of clearing the garbage since the wastages remain for years. Anyway, I have arranged for separate bins in each street,” he adds.