İzmir, Turkey's third largest city at the heart of its Aegean coast, has been gripped by a ubiquitous stench for days. Despite allegations the city municipality's water and sewer management authority denies wastewater canals being the source of the pungent smell felt throughout the city.

Selahattin Varan, İzmir director of the state-run Environment and Urban Planning Authority, said yesterday that the smell stemmed from sludge canals in the city's Çiğli district, adding that the canals were in need of cleaning.

However, İzmir Water and Sewer Management Authority (İZSU) denied that facilities in Çiğli were the source, underlining that canals were cleaned and did not emit the smell which prevailed in the city.

Sırrı Aydoğan, the city's acting mayor, announced on Monday that officials were still investigating the source of the stench. "We will announce it once it is found," Aydoğan said.