Ditwah nears Vedaranyam coast; Tamil Nadu deploys disaster response teams

Cyclone Ditwah approached the Vedaranyam coast on Saturday, bringing heavy rain to Tamil Nadu’s coastal and Cauvery delta regions, with districts such as Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam experiencing the heavy impact.

With normal life disrupted in Rameswaram and Nagapattinam due to persistent rain and strong winds, State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K K S S R Ramachandran announced that 28 response units, including State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, had been kept ready for emergencies.

According to the IMD’s latest advisory, Cyclone Ditwah was positioned close to the Vedaranyam coast in Nagapattinam district. The turbulent sea conditions caused damage to a few mechanised boats anchored near Mandapam, and parts of nearby roads were washed away owing to erosion.

The system drifted northwards at 10 kmph over the past six hours and was tracked this evening approximately 80 km east of Vedaranniyam, 100 km southeast of Karaikal, 190 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 290 km south of Chennai. The cyclone is expected to continue on a north-northwest trajectory and approach the southwest Bay of Bengal near the North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry–south Andhra Pradesh stretch by the early hours of November 30.

It is projected to move as close as 60 km, 50 km, and later 25 km from the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry shoreline by midnight today, and during the morning and evening of November 30, respectively.

Vedaranyam has been witnessing intense rainfall, which has flooded several localities and severely hindered salt production, with nearly 9,000 acres of salt pans suffering damage.

Regional Meteorological Centre Director B Amudha said that districts such as Tiruvallur and Ranipet may receive heavy to extremely heavy rain, while places including Kancheepuram, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Vellore, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, and Villupuram are likely to see heavy to very heavy showers.

“A red alert has been issued for Tiruvallur and Ranipet districts tomorrow due to the possibility of heavy rain. In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, winds will blow up to 40–60 km/h,” she said.

Minister Ramachandran noted that it was uncertain whether the cyclone would make landfall near Chennai, but assured that the administration was fully equipped for rapid rescue and relief work.

“About 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF, are on standby. We are planning to airlift 10 more teams from other states. The Air Force and Coast Guard have also been alerted. Additionally, monitoring teams will be sent to the districts tomorrow,” he said.

There have been no human casualties so far, although 16 livestock deaths and damage to 24 huts have been reported. He added that the state was continuously assessing the situation and had deployed adequate teams for emergency operations.

Nearly 6,000 relief camps have been set up across vulnerable districts. Weather models indicate the cyclone may move parallel to the Chennai coastline, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have urged the public to follow Chief Minister M K Stalin’s safety guidelines.

An official confirmed that 14 NDRF teams were already stationed in key districts such as Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, and Mayiladuthurai, with additional units assigned to Chennai and Puducherry.

Fishermen remained off the sea for the second day due to rough conditions. Heavy rain and strong winds lashed Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukottai, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruchirappalli, and Karaikal in Puducherry. Farmers said nearly one lakh acres of paddy fields and other crops were submerged.

In Chennai, Water Resources Department officials said precautionary discharge of surplus water from Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs was underway to prevent pressure on the dams.

Chennai airport authorities reported the cancellation of about 54 flights due to adverse weather. The airport posted on ‘X’ that it was following all safety procedures as IMD predicted “heavy to very heavy rainfall today with wind speeds of 10–15 knots, gusting up to 25 knots from the north-easterly direction.”

Southern Railway announced alterations in train schedules because of the cyclone. "The wind velocity at Pamban Bridge has receded and is now within prescribed limits. Hence, train traffic to Rameswaram will resume soon,” a statement said.

Earlier, a tourist van was stranded near a canal in Ramanathapuram, though all passengers managed to escape safely through the rear door. Authorities warned visitors against travelling to Dhanushkodi as a precautionary measure. The town has remained uninhabited since the devastating 1964 cyclone.

Weather bloggers noted that the cyclone’s movement remained steady along a parallel track to the Tamil Nadu coast, likely bringing heavier showers over Chennai, Cuddalore, and Puducherry by nightfall.

The name ‘Ditwah’, meaning a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen and is believed to refer to Detwah Lagoon, a prominent saline lagoon on the northwest shore of Socotra.
(With PTI Inputs)