Chennai, 29 Nov

Rain triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, which entered the open sea inching towards the Tamil Nadu coast, lashed the coastal areas and Cauvery delta districts on Saturday, with Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts bearing the brunt.

Normal life in Rameswaram was affected for the second day today owing to continuous rain accompanied by gusty winds.

Few trees were uprooted in Nagapattinam, which also experienced heavy rains, an official said.

According to State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran, it was not clear if Cyclone Ditwah will hit the coast near Chennai. But the state government is fully prepared to launch rescue and relief activities on a war footing, he said.

"About 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF teams, 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," the minister told reporters here.

There have been no fatalities so far, but 16 livestock have died, and 24 huts have been damaged. "There has been no major impact due to the rain so far. However, the state government is continuously monitoring the situation and has readied teams for rescue and relief operations," he said.

As many as 6,000 relief camps have been established in the districts. Reports from the weather office suggest that the cyclone may pass parallel to the Chennai coast and may fetch heavy rain, he said, and urged the public to follow Chief Minister MK Stalin's advice on remaining safe.

According to an official, 14 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have already been deployed in the vulnerable districts in the state, including Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Mayiladuthurai. Additional teams have been allocated for Puducherry and Chennai.

Fishermen from Chennai, Rameswaram, Pamban, Nagapattinam, and other coastal districts did not venture into the sea for the second consecutive day today owing to the rough weather conditions.

The delta districts of Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Karaikal, Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Tiruchirappalli and Karaikal districts received heavy rains accompanied by strong winds.

Farmers claimed paddy crops raised on about one lakh acres of land and other crops were submerged in water.

In Chennai, an official of the Water Resources Department said surplus water from Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs would be let out into the sea as a precaution to safeguard the dams.

The Chennai airport authorities said about 54 flights to various districts in the state have been cancelled owing to the cyclone.

"With the IMD warning that Cyclone Ditwah would cause heavy to very heavy rainfall today with wind velocity of 10-15 knots, gusting up to 25 knots, from the north-easterly direction, the Chennai Airport is taking all precautionary measures," the Chennai Airport said in a post on 'X'.

The Southern Railway has announced changes in the pattern of train services for December due to the cyclone.

"The wind velocity at Pamban Bridge has receded and was now within the prescribed threshold limit. Hence, the resumption of train traffic to Rameswaram will be announced soon," a release said.

The district administration has warned people not to venture out unnecessarily due to the adverse weather conditions of strong gales and heavy downpour.

Tourists have been asked not to visit Dhanushokodi on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island, which is west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka, as a precaution. The town was destroyed in the 1964 cyclone in Rameswaram.

Several parts in the state, including Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thiruvidaimarudur, Kumbakonam, Papanasam, Thiruvaiyaru, Pattukottai, Cuddalore and parts of Chennai, received heavy rain. Strong winds and high tides, accompanied by rainfall, was reported in Ramanthapuram and Nagapattinam districts.

"The Cyclonic Storm Ditwah over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with the speed of 8 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centered at 5.30 am today over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Sri Lanka," the IMD said.

It lay 190 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 300 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 400 km south of Chennai, and is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30, the weather bulletin said.

Private weather bloggers said there was no change in the cyclone’s track and that it moved parallel to the Tamil Nadu coast, and it would bring more rain over Chennai, Cuddalore and Puducherry by tonight.

The name, 'Ditwah', referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen. It is likely named after Detwah Lagoon, a large, saline lagoon on the northwest coast of the island of Socotra in Yemen.