Kochi: When 12-year-old Aditi Krishna felt water splashing on her face in the middle of the night, she thought her younger sister was playing a prank. But within seconds, the Class 7 student realised something was terribly wrong.

“Water was flowing into my mouth and ears, and the mat we were sleeping on the floor started floating. When I switched on the light, I saw water gushing in through the door gaps. I woke my mother who was sleeping in bed, and when we ran outside, everyone in the street was standing in knee-high water. Initially, we were all confused about how the flash flood came as there was no rain in the night. Later, we realised that the water tank nearby had collapsed,” Krishna said.

Around 2:30 am on Monday, a massive Kerala Water Authority (KWA) tank near Thammanam–Ponnurunni Road collapsed, releasing more than 1.15 crore litres of water into the residential area within minutes. The deluge inundated homes, damaged vehicles, and turned quiet lanes into muddy channels. While no casualties were reported, the scale of destruction has left residents reeling.

“We heard a loud crash and then water gushed in”
For Judith George, whose home stands adjacent to the Water Authority compound, the night was one of terror and helplessness. Her freshly painted house, now smeared in mud and grime, was among the worst hit.

“It was around 2:20 am when we heard a loud sound like something was breaking. When I opened the window, I saw water rushing in like a flood and our boundary wall collapsing. We did not know how high it would rise, so we ran to the terrace with the children. The flow stopped around 3:30 am,” she said.

Judith, who lives with her daughter, two grandchildren, and two tenants, estimates losses of over ₹10 lakh. Her boundary wall collapsed, the underground sump was filled with mud, and most household appliances, like the refrigerator, inverter, batteries, and her daughter’s scooter, were destroyed. Two cars and two motorcycles belonging to her tenants were also wrecked.

By morning, a JCB was seen scooping mud from her yard while volunteers and rescue workers cleared debris and lifted vehicles buried under slush.

“We do not know who we will rebuild and get our house back to normal. It will cost lakhs. We hope the government will do the needful to help us,” Judith said. 

Just a few houses away, Ambika Kuzhivelithundil was busy sweeping mud and water out of her home. “The water came rushing like a wave. Autorickshaws and scooters were floating and they crashed into our gate. The ground floor of our house was knee-deep in water. It will take days to clean everything,” she said.

Preliminary reports suggest that at least two cars, two autorickshaws, and 10 two-wheelers were damaged in the neighbourhood. The Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) nearby also suffered heavy losses after water gushed into its lower floor.

“All the medicines kept on lower shelves were washed away. Nebulisers, weighing machines are all gone,” said Dr Anu Joseph, who estimated the damage at around ₹5 lakh.

Her colleague, Dr Vazeem Ahmed, said they are now worried about the remaining section of the compound wall, which remains unstable. “Patients usually stand there to collect OP tickets and medicines. It is unsafe until the wall is repaired,” he said.

The flash flood also destroyed the livelihood of Rahul Raghunath, a video editor, whose equipment, worth ₹1.5 lakh, was damaged. “When I woke up to people screaming, my laptop and hard disk were already floating. I tried to grab my UPS and got a mild electric shock. I even fell and hurt my hand,” he said.

Now, Rahul’s house, like many others, is covered in thick mud, with household water tanks clogged and unfit for use. 

The volunteers from the CITU Headload and General Workers’ Union’s Red Brigade, who were recently trained as first responders, were helping families clean their homes.

“The silt inside some houses is thick and heavy. Even the water tanks are filled with mud,” said Joseph, one of the volunteers. “People cannot even pump fresh water into their sumps yet. It will take days before life gets back to normal,” he said.

Joy amid chaos
The mishap has derailed the rhythm of daily life in the neighbourhood. Office-goers stayed back to shovel out sludge, students missed school to help their parents, and volunteers worked side by side with residents to clear debris. Yet amid the exhaustion, there were moments of unexpected levity, especially for the children.

“There were a lot of fish that came with the water, and we even caught a few,” laughed Anjitha, holding up a bucket wriggling with live fish, a rare flash of joy amid the chaos.

KWA and revenue officials are continuing damage assessments in the area, while repair work is underway to restore the water supply through the unaffected compartment of the 40-year-old water tank.