KOCHI: The students of Kalady Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit can barely recount the nightmarish experience they encountered on the fateful night when the floodwaters gushed inside the varsity's Priyamvada Ladies' Hostel."Water started entering the hostel around 2 am on August 16. Consequently, we moved into the nearby hostel located on higher ground. But water began to enter that building too. So all 400 of us, including students from both ladies and men's hostel, moved to Utility Centre near gate," said Anisha, a student.
On reaching the Utility Centre, they were greeted by the sight of several hundred people thronging the Centre seeking refuge there. "Our numbers swelled to around 700. Among the people stranded at the centre were eight pregnant women and a 30-day-old baby. With barely enough food and potable water available, the 72 hours we spent at the centre were a horrendous experience," she said.
Another student recalled how they waded through the gushing water to reach the petrol station nearby in search of potable water. "The pump had stocked up mineral water, so a few of us braved the floodwater to procure it. We also harvested rainwater. We had to think on our toes. With no power supply, it became impossible to recharge our mobile phones," said Athira.