At other times, the Mookkenpetty causeway stretches ahead like normal roadways set well above a water body that courses down the hills. The tarmac, however, disappears rapidly under a solid sheet of water whenever it rains heavily.
In the eastern high-ranges of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, few events in monsoon are as certain as the submerging of low-level causeways across the major rivers here—Manimala, Pampa, and Azhutha. Since 2018, this phenomenon has left several settlements on the fringes of the Sabarimala forests isolated on several occasions for days on end.
The streaming floodwaters submerged four causeways in the region—Mookkenpetty, Pazhayidom, Arayanjilimon, and Kurumbanmoozhy—temporarily for a couple of days last week too. While no major untoward incidents were reported, the increasing frequency of flash floods have alarmed those who respond to the rescue calls.
