OOTY: A day ahead of the polls, heavy showers and cloudy weather changed the face of the hills here on Wednesday, which in fact, set up the typical summer tourist season here.
The hills which were parched and dry since the second week of December, failed to get good showers till now, though there was moderate rain on a couple of occasions.
But, the scenario changed drastically from Wednesday morning itself, with thunder and an overcast sky, all indications that the hills were ready for good showers.
The heavy showers which began shortly before noon, continued in patches across the hills almost for the entire day that saw Ketti slopes, Ooty town limits and suburbs like Thalaikundha receive good rains.
The rain, which was particularly heavy in the western part of this hill town, saw boating operations come to a standstill for a while in the Ooty lake.
The heavy down pour in this part of the town also witnessed storm water inundating the low lying roads leading to the Ooty lake.
The showers were welcomed by all and have come as a big relief to the farm fields, especially the tea gardens and potato crops.
Water managers here are hopeful that the rains would continue in the days to come, so that reservoirs would be filled, helping to manage the drinking water problem this summer.
