Cyclone Ditwah brings heavy rain, disrupts life across Tamil Nadu

Rain triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, which moved into the open sea while inching towards the Tamil Nadu coast, battered coastal and Cauvery delta districts on Saturday, with Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam among the worst-hit regions.

Normal life in Rameswaram remained paralysed for the second day as continuous rain and gusty winds lashed the area. Several trees were uprooted in Nagapattinam, while many parts of the delta districts remained waterlogged.

State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran said it was still unclear whether Ditwah would make landfall near Chennai, but stressed that Tamil Nadu was fully prepared for rescue and relief operations.

He said 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF units, were on standby, with plans to airlift 10 more teams. The Air Force and Coast Guard had also been alerted.

• No fatalities have been reported so far, though 16 livestock deaths and damage to 24 huts were recorded.

• Over 6,000 relief camps have been readied across districts.

The IMD (India Meteorological Department) said the cyclone is likely to move north-northwestwards and approach the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry–south Andhra coasts by early November 30.

Private weather bloggers also reported no deviation in Ditwah’s track and warned of heavy rain in Chennai, Cuddalore and Puducherry by night.

In Chennai, water resources officials said surplus water from Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs would be released as a precaution. The Chennai airport cancelled 54 flights, citing adverse weather and strong northeasterly winds gusting up to 25 knots. Southern Railway also revised several train services.

Fishermen in Chennai, Rameswaram, Pamban, Nagapattinam and nearby coasts stayed ashore for the second consecutive day. High winds and rough seas disrupted local transport, and a tourist van stranded near a canal in Ramanathapuram had a narrow escape after its occupants exited through the rear door.

Across the delta districts — including Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai and Tiruchirappalli — farmers reported that paddy sown over nearly one lakh acres had been submerged.

District administrations have warned people not to venture out unnecessarily. Tourists were barred from visiting Dhanushkodi as a precaution, recalling the devastation caused by the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone.

The cyclone, named ‘Ditwah’ by Yemen after the Detwah Lagoon in Socotra, continued to intensify over the southwest Bay of Bengal, IMD said.

With PTI inputs