Heavy rain lash Puducherry, low-lying areas inundated

Puducherry, Nov 25(UNI) Incessant rain continued to batter Puducherry and its suburbs without a break since last night, inundating low-lying areas.

The continuos rain hampered the efforts of the municipality and commune panchayat workers to drain out the rain water from several areas. Crops in several places were submerged causing anxiety among the farmers.

While most of the lakes and tanks were full, major lakes like Oussudu and Bahour, were fast filling up due to substantial inflow following heavy rain in adjoining Tamil Nadu areas.

Puducherry received 6.5 cm of rainfall for the 12 hours ending at 0830 hrs today.

More than 1,000 families affected in the rain were evacuated to safer places and they were being provided with food packets. The administration has set up several control rooms with round-the-clock service and toll free phone numbers. All schools here remained closed for the second successive day.

Meanwhile, Puducherry Civil Supplies Minister M Kandasamy has ordered provision of ten kg free rice to the BPL families (those with red colour ration cards) as relief in view of the rains.

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