India announces $450 million relief package for Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday announced India’s decision to offer a reconstruction package of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka post ‘Cyclone Ditwah’.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday announced India’s decision to offer a reconstruction package of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka post ‘Cyclone Ditwah’.
The deadly floods sweeping through Indonesia since last week mark a sobering moment for a region long accustomed to the monsoon’s moods but rarely prepared for nature’s most erratic turns.
Cyclone Ditavah, which has left a trail of destruction across Sri Lanka, claiming nearly 200 lives, is now approaching the Indian coastline.
At least 334 people have lost their lives, and 370 others are still missing as Cyclone Ditwah wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka, local media reported, quoting the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).
Devastating floods have torn through parts of Colombo as Sri Lanka struggles with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, with the death toll rising to 193 and another 228 people still missing, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) statement.
Cyclone Ditwah intensified its impact on Tamil Nadu on Saturday, shutting schools, cancelling 54 flights, suspending sea-bridge rail services and prompting evacuations in coastal belts. From Cuddalore to Ramanathapuram, district teams moved into full preparedness mode as the storm inched closer.
Cyclone Ditwah has brought widespread disruption to Tamil Nadu, with school holidays, postponed university exams and dozens of cancelled flights. As heavy rain continues, India has also begun sending emergency aid to Sri Lanka, where the storm has caused significant damage.
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.
In view of the approaching cyclonic storm Ditwah, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts for heavy to very heavy rainfall.
The weather system over the Strait of Malacca and the adjoining South Andaman Sea is expected to move west-northwest and intensify into a depression by November 24.
