Kerala Floods 2026: Cleanup Begins in Kottayam as Rain‑Driven Havoc Lingers

Even though the downpour finally loosened its grip on Sunday, August 2, the flood picture in Kottayam still looks anything but calm. Water keeps trickling down from the high ranges, keeping low‑lying pockets in the western part of the district constantly wet.

Where the river Meenachil once flowed peacefully, its banks now sport a grim layer of sludge. Homes that were submerged for days sit under a thick blanket of silt, their doors ajar and windows shattered. The same holds true for several arterial roads that remain under ankle‑deep water, forcing commuters to wade or take long detours.

Villages hugging the shores of Vembanad Lake have borne the brunt of nature’s fury. Here, the floodwaters lingered longest, turning streets into temporary canals and leaving behind a trail of destruction that is still being pieced together.

In the eastern stretches of the district—places like Erattupetta, Pala, Kanjirappally and Koottickal—the situation is a mix of relief and lingering hardship. While water levels are finally receding, dozens of houses have become virtually uninhabitable, choked with mud and debris. Families are now faced with the daunting task of salvaging whatever they can and starting over.

District Collector Chetan Kumar Meena, acknowledging the continuing challenges, announced a holiday for all educational institutions on Monday. This includes professional colleges, anganwadis, tuition centres and special classes. Examinations slated for the day, however, will go ahead as scheduled, according to the collector.

The hardest hit area remains Karakkad in Erattupetta. The sudden surge on Saturday inundated more than a hundred homes, some of which suffered structural damage. Power outages spanned the region after KSEB transformers and poles were knocked down, and a community well that served several villages was left unusable.

Cleanup crews, equipped with pumps, shovels and sheer determination, have started the painstaking work of clearing roads and draining stagnant water. Volunteers from nearby towns are joining hands, hoping to restore a sense of normalcy before the next monsoon wave rolls in.