Heavy downpours triggered by Cyclone Ditwah continue to lash several parts of Tamil Nadu, and three individuals have been confirmed dead in rain-related incidents, the state government reported on Sunday.
The meteorological office indicated that the cyclone is anticipated to move parallel to the coastline of the state's northern parts and neighbouring Puducherry over the next 24 hours.
With torrential rainfall pounding the Cauvery delta districts, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts have borne the brunt of the weather. Normal life remains disrupted in the coastal towns of Rameswaram and Nagapattinam, as substantial rainfall has submerged several low-lying areas.
As per the latest bulletin by the Regional Meteorological Department, the cyclone moved nearly northwards with a speed of 7 kmph and it is located about 100 km east-southeast of Cuddalore, 100 km northeast of Karaikal, 110 km southeast of Puducherry, 140 km northeast of Vedaraniyam, 160 km southeast of Puducherry and 180 km south-southeast of Chennai.
The minimum distance of the centre of the cyclone from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts is about 70 km, the bulletin issued by the Met Office on Sunday afternoon said.
"It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts during the next 24 hours. While moving northwards the cyclonic storm will be centered over southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 60 km and 30 km from the Tamil-Nadu-Puducherry coastline by November 30," the bulletin said.
As a result of the cyclone's impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall in a few locations and extremely heavy rainfall are likely to affect Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Ranipet districts, as well as Puducherry and Karaikal, over the coming 24 hours.
Strong surface winds with speed reaching 60-70 km per hour gusting to 80 km per hour is likely to prevail over the North Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Sea conditions are anticipated to be high and are expected to improve gradually, becoming very rough to rough by the morning of December 1, and then improving further. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out to sea.
State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran confirmed that the state government has kept 38 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF, on standby. An additional 10 teams from other states joined the relief and rehabilitation efforts on Saturday evening.
The Minister reported that three individuals have lost their lives in rain-related incidents caused by Cyclone Ditwah. As many as 149 cattle died and 57,000 hectares of farmland have been affected in the delta districts, he added.
"Three people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents since last evening. While two individuals died due to wall collapse in Tuticorin and Thanjavur, respectively, a 20-year-old youth was fatally electrocuted in Mayiladuthurai," he told reporters during a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Centre on Sunday.
Private weather bloggers said the cyclone would weaken into a deep depression while Mayiladuthurai recorded the heavy rainfall of 140-220 mm in the last 24 hours.
"The cyclone is set to weaken further into a deep depression and subsequently a depression as it inches northwards. It is anticipated that the system will remain over open water for another day, eventually dissipating near the Chennai coast without fully making landfall," another private blogger commented.
The name 'Ditwah,' is proposed by Yemen, refers to a lagoon and is believed to originate from Detwah Lagoon, a substantial saline lagoon on Socotra's north-west coast.
Also read: India braces for cyclone Ditwah after havoc in Sri Lanka
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