Kerala floods 2026: several parts of Kottayam still inundated, over 3,700 shifted to relief camps

Plastic waste stuck near a bridge across the Manimala river on Monday. | Photo Credit: LEJU KAMAL Even as rain eased briefly during the day on Monday (August 3, 2026), the respite proved deceptive in Kottayam. Overnight downpours unleashed fresh flooding along the downstream stretches of the Meenachil river and across the low-lying upper Kuttanad region, inundating hundreds of homes and forcing residents to flee to relief camps.The worst of the devastation was witnessed in the low-lying pockets of Kottayam district, where overflowing rivers submerged vast swathes of Kottayam, Vaikom and Changanassery taluks. Residents said floodwaters had risen higher than during the catastrophic 2018 deluge. Thiruvarppu panchayat was almost entirely submerged, while more than half of Ayamanam and the east