Cyclone Ditwah Weakens, But Leaves 334 Dead in Sri Lanka; Heavy Rain Batters Tamil Nadu

Cyclone Ditwah weakened into a deep depression late Sunday, but not before unleashing severe destruction across Sri Lanka and bringing widespread rainfall and disruptions to Tamil Nadu and neighbouring coastal regions.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), the system hovered over the southwest Bay of Bengal through the night, passing just 20 km off the North Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast early Monday.

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Sri Lanka Devastated: 334 Dead, 300 Missing

Before weakening, Ditwah made a catastrophic landfall in Sri Lanka, where disaster management authorities confirmed 334 deaths, with over 300 people still missing.
India has dispatched emergency assistance to support rescue and relief operations underway across the island nation.

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Red Alert in Tamil Nadu and Coastal Andhra

Rainfall intensified across Tamil Nadu on Sunday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red warning for:

• Cuddalore

• Chennai

• Puducherry

• Coastal Andhra Pradesh

• Other vulnerable districts including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Chengalpattu, and Ranipet

Extremely heavy rainfall is expected in the next 24 hours, with wind gusts of up to 80 kmph. Fishermen have been strongly advised to stay away from the sea.

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Chennai Braces, But Avoids Major Flooding

Despite widespread anxiety over potential flooding, Chennai saw steady but moderate rainfall for most of Sunday.
Greater Chennai Corporation data showed:

• Average rainfall: 3 cm

• Highest recorded: Ennore at 5.58 cm

Still, the civic response remained aggressive:

• 22,000+ workers deployed

• 7 uprooted trees cleared

• Water pumped out from arterial stretches such as Thiruvottiyur High Road

• 20 medical camps set up

• 32,500+ food packets distributed in vulnerable areas like Adyar, Velachery, and Sholinganallur

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Deaths & Agricultural Losses Across Tamil Nadu

Authorities confirmed three rain-related fatalities:

• Two wall collapses: Tuticorin & Thanjavur

• One electrocution: Mayiladuthurai

Over 57,000 hectares of farmland in the Cauvery delta remain inundated.

Southern Railway has activated its emergency preparedness plan to protect tracks, bridges, and ensure uninterrupted passenger movement along high-risk coastal sectors.

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More Rain Expected

Though the system is weakening further, meteorologists caution that lingering cloud bands could continue to dump rain across Tamil Nadu through Monday morning.

The name Ditwah, proposed by Yemen, refers to a tranquil saltwater lagoon — an ironic contrast to the devastation left behind by the storm.