Fishers engaged in rescue work in Aranmula on Monday.
| Photo Credit: LEJU KAMAL
The relentless rain that has battered Pathanamthitta for the third consecutive day continued to disrupt normal life on Monday (August 3, 2026), with swollen rivers inundating low-lying areas and forcing thousands to seek shelter in relief camps.While floodwaters began receding in the upper reaches, low-lying regions in upper Kuttanad, including parts of Thiruvalla and Aranmula, remained under water. The Pampa river recorded a steady decline in water level at Ranni. However, heavy run-off from the upper reaches continued to flow downstream, keeping several low-lying areas in Aranmula and parts of Thiruvalla inundated.As many as 5,940 people are currently sheltered in relief camps across Pathanamthitta. The Fire and Rescue Services have evacuated 3,627 people from flood-hit areas, with reinforcements comprising 160 personnel from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Palakkad, along with 75 Civil Defence volunteers, joining rescue operations.Apart from evacuating stranded residents, rescue teams have been supplying food, drinking water and medicines to people trapped in their homes and inmates of relief camps in coordination with the District Disaster Management Authority. Fire and Rescue Services personnel also rescued nearly 60 domestic animals stranded in floodwaters.Man drownsMeanwhile, a 32-year-old man drowned after he went missing while swimming in a flooded paddy field at Karingali Puncha in Pandalam on Monday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Lenin, a resident of Cherumala.
