In a bid to curb pollution and improve the condition of the city’s waterbodies, the Tiruchi Corporation has launched a drive to identify and beautify garbage-dumping hotspots along canals.

Several waterbodies across the city continue to be polluted by the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste. Despite repeated awareness campaigns and waste collection measures, residents and commercial establishments often dispose of garbage into nearby canals, affecting water quality and the surrounding environment.

Acting on complaints from residents and environmental activists about the persistent dumping of waste into canals and rivers, the Corporation has installed a protective barrier along the Uyyakondan Canal on Anna Nagar Link Road near the walking track. The barrier is beautified with painting and murals aimed at discouraging littering while improving the area’s appearance.

Similar beautification initiatives are planned at the Rettai Vaikal in Ward 31, Amma Mandapam Padithurai, and near the MGR Roundabout on EVR Road. Corporation officials said the Amma Mandapam site will feature a chessboard-themed design, with all identified locations expected to be transformed within the month.

Earlier, attempts to prevent littering through cloth-mesh barriers and warning banners along the banks of the Uyyakondan Canal, the Koraiyar, and Odathurai Road yielded no success, as indiscriminate dumping continued.

The Corporation is planning to fence the banks of major canals such as Kottai Vaikal, Rettai Vaikal and those located near the residential colonies where the menace is rampant. “Since the canals are situated in residential areas, people are throwing waste wrapped in plastic covers into the waterbody. Such spots would be identified and fenced at the earliest,” said an official.

Meanwhile, garbage-vulnerable points across the city are being transformed into green spaces. Since September 2023, the civic body has reclaimed and transformed 65 garbage hotspots across residential and commercial areas in all five zones of the city. Officials said the reclaimed spots are being monitored around the clock to ensure that they are not misused again.