Cyclonic storm ‘Dithwa’ in the south Bay of Bengal has intensified and is moving toward the Coromandel coast between Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh. Under its impact, heavy rains are predicted with a red alert being issued for the already battered tail-end Delta districts as well as Cuddalore and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier on Thursday, the deep depression intensified into a cyclone and has been christened ‘Dithwa’, as suggested by Yemen and it refers to the Detwah lagoon on Socotra island, known for its distinct coastal ecosystem. The cyclone is moving in a north-north-west direction.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has issued a red alert for the tail-end Delta districts of Nagapattinal and Tiruvarur as well as Thanjavur Pudukottai on November 28.
On November 28, the red alert was for the tail-end districts of Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai along with Cuddalore, Villupuram and Chengalpattu besides Puducherry and Karaikal. Other coastal districts and a few in interior Tamil Nadu will receive moderate to heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours.
The MET office also predicted that the cyclone, laying centred at around 700 km south-south-east of Chennai, will eventually weaken on the morning of November 30, when it crosses the coast.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin reviewed the situation with District Collectors on the precautionary measure in place in view of the heavy rain forecast. He has directed the officials to keep relief camps ready with basic amenities to house people evacuated from low lying and vulnerable areas. The State Government has deployed SDRF and NDRF teams to the vulnerable districts.