Majority of tanks, bed dams filled in Puducherry, says Minister

Minister K. Lakshminarayanan reports record rainfall in Puducherry filling tanks and dams for irrigation and drinking water needs.

Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan on Tuesday said that the record rainfall in Puducherry helped fill all the tanks and bed dams in the region.

After inspecting the damaged approach road on the recently constructed Ariyapalayam bridge, the Minister said that of the 84 tanks in the Puducherry region, 80 were completely full and the remaining, more than 80% full. The water level was at full capacity in 26 of 27 bed dams in the region, he added.

Filling up of these tanks, after a long time, would be useful for irrigation and drinking water needs, the Minister further said.

Mr. Lakshminarayanan said there was no damage to the Ariyapalayam bridge, as reported, in the floods. The recent heavy rain had damaged the road, which was laid during the construction of the bridge. The Public Works Department was asked to strengthen the road and restore it at the earliest, he added.

Floodwater had receded in most parts of the town by Sunday midnight, he said, adding: “The territory received around 49 cm of rain in a day. The rainfall was unprecedented, but we were able to drain the water due to the work carried out for de-silting stormwater drains before the monsoon...”