Garbage dumped alongside a pond at Peyton Sahi. Telegraph pictures

Cuttack, Jan. 28: For the past few months, the residents of the Peyton Sahi area in ward no. 19 of the city have been struggling to come to terms with the solid waste generated in the locality.

The civic authorities do not remove garbage on time, which is creating a lot of problems for the local residents.

“One can find heaps of garbage dumped along the roadsides and the ponds in the locality. This is causing problems for the local residents. This also poses a serious hygienic threat as the wastes often fall into the ponds polluting them,” said local resident Manas Kumar Peddiny (43).

There are a number of dustbins. But at times, people are forced to throw waste on roadsides as the civic authorities do not regularly clean the dustbins, he added.

“The streetlights in many parts of Peyton Sahi, Makrabag and Meria Bazar do not function properly. Though we have brought the matter to the notice of officials concerned, no step has been taken in this regard so far,” said a resident of Makrabag area.

Apart from these, the existing drainage system is also an issue of concern for the residents. Most of the drains connecting with the main storm water channel no. 1 are in a dilapidated condition. As a result, the sub-drains in the locality overflow, creating unhygienic conditions.

“Most of the drains of the area frequently overflow as those are not repaired and de-silted regularly. If the garbage and other wastes are not cleaned up from the drains before the monsoon, there would be acute waterlogging in the area,” said Pramod Behera, another local resident.

All these factors have led to increase in mosquito menace in the area. “Even in the daytime, we have to keep our doors and windows closed to prevent the entry of the mosquitoes ,” he added.

Local councillor Chandan Kumar Jena, however, has refuted the allegations made by the local residents and informed that there is around 28 sanitary staff, including sweepers and one sanitary inspector, who help to keep the ward clean.

“The sweepers clean up the areas on daily basis. Moreover, there is one dumping zone from where the wastes of each ward are collected. Things are likely to improve as mechanical sweeping will be introduced in the city from March,” Jena said.