Kerala Floods 2026: Clean‑up Begins in Kottayam

When the clouds finally thinned on Sunday, August 2, the rain that had battered Kerala for days started to let up, but the situation in Kottayam was far from calm. Water continues to pour down from the high ranges, slipping into the western pockets of the district and keeping the flood warning very much alive.

In places like Erattupetta, Pala, Kanjirappally and Koottickal, the water is finally pulling back, exposing streets that had been rivers just a day earlier. Yet the relief is bittersweet – houses that once stood proudly along the Meenachil River now sit under a thick blanket of silt and mud, and many of them are barely habitable.

Villages hugging the banks of Vembanad Lake have taken the hardest hit. Roads that once buzzed with traffic are still under ankle‑deep water, and a few stretches remain completely submerged. Residents, armed with shovels, buckets and a lot of determination, are already scraping mud off doorsteps and trying to salvage whatever they can.

On the eastern side of the district, water levels are slowly falling, offering a glimpse of normalcy. Still, the aftermath is evident: in Erattupetta a sudden surge on Saturday turned streets into torrents, and the little town of Karakkad, perched right on the Meenachil’s banks, is now listed among the worst‑affected zones. Over a hundred homes there were flooded, many suffering structural damage, while broken KSEB transformers left whole neighborhoods in the dark.

Seeing the continuing hardships, District Collector Chetan Kumar Meena announced a one‑day holiday for all schools, colleges, Anganwadis and tuition centres on Monday. Exams that were slated for that day will go ahead as planned, but the break gives families a bit of breathing space to deal with the mess.

Power restoration crews are already on the ground, but the damage to electric poles and transformers means some areas could stay without electricity for a few more days. Meanwhile, the community’s spirit is palpable – neighbours are sharing food, water and tools, and the local administration is coordinating clean‑up drives wherever the water has receded.

As the monsoon retreats, the real work begins: clearing debris, repairing roads, and rebuilding homes that were once safe havens. It will be a long road ahead, but Kottayam’s residents are showing the resilience that Kerala is known for.