KOCHI: As floodwaters receded across Kerala and rain became intermittent on Sunday, rescue efforts began winding down though chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised that even the last stranded person would be saved.After 10 days of continuous torrential downpour and massive floods that has killed 209 people so far, the focus is now shifting to relief and rehabilitation. The number of people in relief camps is 7,24,649, housed in 5,645 camps. There has been immense damage to infrastructure and the official estimate is that more than 10,000 kilometres of roads have been destroyed. The immediate concern is preventing possible epidemics and water-borne diseases. The chief minister in his press briefing on Sunday said that ensuring hygiene and clearing waste from flood-hit areas is a challenge. He said that each affected ward will have separate teams to ensure hygiene and that volunteers will be enrolled for this task.The CM chaired a series of meetings on Sunday in the state capital to put in place a preliminary framework for rebuilding Kerala. Senior officials of railways, PWD and LSG participated in the meetings attended by ministers E Chandrasekharan and EP Jayarajan. As soon as water recedes, local bodies will begin inspection of each evacuated home for electrical safety and structural safety. There will be special care for preventing electrical accidents once power supply is restored to abandoned homes. Preliminary estimates suggest that a cumulative loss of Rs 4,441cr has happened to main roads in the state. “NHAI and PWD have agreed to repair do immediate repair of the damaged roads”, Vijayan said.The KSRTC and railways restored services on more routes on Sunday. With Ernakulam-Shoranur rail route still closed, travel to Malabar continues to be an issue. The government also decided to provide text books and uniforms free of cost to all students who lost them during the flood The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that in the next few days there won't be heavy rainfall in Kerala. In isolated pockets, the water level wasn’t draining quickly enough and people remained stranded. At Chengannur alone in Alappuzha district, at least 5,000 are stranded, according to revenue officials.The CM commended the yeoman service of fishermen in rescue missions. He also thanked the Union government, PM Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, governor P Sathasivam and the non-resident Keralite community for their overwhelming support in the hour of need. Indicating the extent of worldwide attention the Kerala floods have drawn, at St Peter's Square in the Vatican on Sunday, worshippers held aloft signs reading “Pray for Kerala”. Echoing this, Pope Francis declared on Sunday that, "Our solidarity and the concrete support of the international community should not lack for our brothers [in Kerala]".Meanwhile, a group of 10 doctors from the Malayali diaspora have launched a Facebook initiative to monitor the health conditions of Kerala’s flood-affected people.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kochi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.