Puducherry, Sept. 12 -- Former Chief Minister of the Union Territory (U.T.) of Puducherry V. Narayanasamy has said that drinking water problem had become rampant in Puducherry, adding that two people had died after drinking substandard water. He further added that the Puducherry people were suffering from kidney damage due to drinking unsafe, substandard drinking water.

Speaking to the media on Thursday on the drinking water issue in the Union Territory, Narayanasamy said, "The drinking water problem has become rampant in Puducherry. Drinking water in Urulayanpet, Nellithope, Murungapakkam, and Thattanjavadi areas is not suitable for drinking. The bacteria E. coli were already mixed in the sea; now, due to excessive pumping of water, the...