Pain Returns to Puducherry

Bahour, Thavalkuppam, Karikalapakkam and Thirukkanur among the worst-affected

PUDUCHERRY: The walls of two houses collapsed under the impact of the rains, which lashed the region after a three-day respite.

The region experienced heavy rains since Thursday night and continued till Friday afternoon.

According to the Met office, Puducherry received 79.6 mm of rainfall for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday and nearly 10 mm till the afternoon.

According to sources, the walls of the houses of Shanmugham (26) of Thengaithittu and Selvaraj (40) of Gundusalai, Bhoomiyanpet, crashed.

According to unconfirmed reports, 10 houses were damaged on Friday. Most of the low-lying areas of Bahour, Karikalapakkam, Thavalkuppam and Thirukkanur were inundated and farms were submerged under rainwater.

It may be noted that Puducherry and its suburbs were battered by heavy showers in the last few days owing to the low pressure in the  Bay, causing extensive damage to crops and roads.

The civic authorities had a tough time desilting some of the drains, which witnessed flooding. The private agency, engaged for clearing the garbage, managed to do their bit to avoid water-logging. The garbage clearance came in for criticism during the rains as there was a delay.  

According to sources, after a gap of four years, the water-level in the Veedur dam in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu situated near the border rose to 28 feet as against the full capacity of 36 feet.

As many as 2,200 acres of land in Tamil Nadu and 1,000 acres in Puducherry were being cultivated using the water from Veedur.

Sources said the Ossudu Lake in Puducherry would be filled up with the water from Veedur and presently the lake was half-full.

More rains are predicted in the region for the next 24 hours with the low-pressure still persisting in Arabian Sea over Lakshadweep and surrounding areas. Puducherry remained cloudy on Friday afternoon.

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