Floodwaters have receded in many parts of Kuttanad, Chengannur and other low-lying areas in the district.
Officials said that several people had returned home from relief camps. The water level which touched 2.06 metre in Edathua decreased to 1.92 metre on Friday. The water level also dropped below danger level at Pallipad, Veeyapuram and other places.
However, several parts of the Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) road continued to remain under water.
Bund reconstruction
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has started the work to plug breached portions of outer bunds of the Kanakassery and Arupanku polders in Kainakary. Officials said that temporary reconstruction of the bunds would be completed in 10 days.
Kuttanad witnessed a series of bund breaches last week after a rise in water level in rivers in the region.
It has resulted in flooding of a large number of houses and paddy fields.
District Collector Adeela Abdulla declared a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges and anganwadis in the Kuttanad taluk on Saturday. All educational institutions functioning as relief camps in the district too will remain shut.
Return to homes
Special Correspondent writes from Pathanamthitta:
Flood waters have started slowly receding from the Upper Kuttanad villages and as many as 205 people have returned to their homes from various flood relief camps opened by the district administration on Friday, according to official sources.
As many as 9,845 affected people have been admitted to 105 camps in the taluks of Thiruvalla, Ranni, Kozhencherry, Mallappally, Konni and Adoor as on Friday afternoon.
The administration has opened 81 camps to accommodate 8,461 flood-hit people in Thiruvalla taluk alone that houses the Upper Kuttanad villages of Nedumpram, Peringara, Kadapra and Niranom.
The administration has decided to continue with the taluk-level control rooms.
The 46 fishermen who reached the district with 10 fishing boats for rescue operations a few days ago returned to Kollam on Friday, sources said.