The Hindu 08.12.2009
Residents demand proper cleaning of drainage channels
Staff Reporter
— Photo: P.GOUTHAM 
Health hazard: Sewage overflowing from a drainage channel on Attur main road in Salem pose threat to the health of people
SALEM: Overflow of sewage on the roads from drainage channels continues to be a persistent problem in a number of parts in Ammapet zone in the city.
As the Salem Corporation had failed to ensure proper cleaning of drainage channels, almost all the channels in the city remain heavily silted. As a result, sewage overflows from the drains on many roads including the Attur main road and a number of other inner streets in the zone. Kitchipalayam, Pachapatti, Narayanan Nagar and a few other wards in the zone were the worst affected.
The blocks in the channels were not removed for long. In the recent rains, all the drains overflowed, creating temporary pools in the low-lying areas in the zone, the residents pointed out.
Sanitary workers from the civic administration and the Swatchatha Corporation, which bagged the contract for carrying out sanitary works in 21 wards in the city, rarely turn up and clean the drainage, the people complained. The overflow of sewage is posing serious threat to the health of the residents.
Children are the worst affected as they sometime walk barefoot on the roads and streets, residents say.