The Centre on Monday declared the devastating floods in Kerala a 'calamity of severe nature' as the state braced for the gigantic task of reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and rehabilitating lakhs of people rendered homeless. The death toll in the current spell of monsoon fury that began on August 8 has risen to 216, officials said. 'Keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the floods and landslides in Kerala, this is a calamity of a severe nature for all practical purposes,' a Home Ministry official said in New Delhi. This categorisation will enable the state get greater monetary and other assistance from the Centre. Though rains that pounded the state over the last few days have abated, over 7.24 lakh people are still sheltered in 5,645 relief camps, official sources said. K Santosh, director of India Meteorological Department's Thiruvananthapuram centre said all alerts have been withdrawn and the state experienced only light to moderate rainfall today. Similar precipitation has been forecast for the next five days. The Army, Navy, and NDRF teams continued their rescue efforts. Lt. Gen. D R Soni, the chief of the Army's Southern Command, told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram that rescue operations were still continuing and drones being used to help reach to people trapped in areas not easily accessible. He said 1,500 Army personnel were engaged in rescue operations and people stranded on rooftops and inaccessible areas were being winched with the help of defence helicopters. Efforts were now under way to clear the houses of the debris to make them habitable, officials said, underscoring the need for making available disinfectants like bleaching powder in adequate quantities to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases. New Zealand's Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter has taken the cycle of life to a whole new level, biking her way to hospital for the birth of her first child. Genter, a Green MP and keen cyclist, chose pedal power for Sunday's one kilometre (0.6 mile) journey from her home to Auckland City Hospital for the delivery. 'My partner and I cycled because there wasn't enough room in the car for the support crew... but it also put me in the best possible mood!' she posted on social media alongside a picture of her with her bike. The Centre on Monday declared the devastating floods in Kerala a 'calamity of severe nature' as the state braced for the gigantic task of reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and rehabilitating lakhs of people rendered homeless. The death toll in the current spell of monsoon fury that began on August 8 has risen to 216, officials said. 'Keeping in view the intensity and magnitude of the floods and landslides in Kerala, this