About 100 Feared Killed in Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka as Tamil Nadu Bracing for it
NEW DELHI, Nov 28: Schools and colleges in several coastal districts in Tamil Nadu have announced holiday for Saturday as Cyclone Ditwah moved north-northwest and the southwest Bay of Bengal after devastating many parts of Sri Lanka heading towards the southern India coast.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very heavy to scattered extremely heavy rainfall for Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh for the next three days as Ditwah is expected to cross near the coast by early Saturday.
Nearly 100 persons have been reported dead and dozens are missing in Sri Lanka — as of Friday evening — amid incessant rains combined with strong winds, even as Cyclone Ditwah appears to proceed north and north-west, towards the coast of Tamil Nadu. The island has been experiencing torrential downpour over the last couple of days, with several districts recording unprecedented levels of rainfall.
The DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday urged his party office bearers and functionaries at various levels to remain active and extend support to the people in view of Cyclone Ditwah.
In a statement, Mr Stalin said as part of the preparatory measures for Cyclone Ditwah, the State government had held several review meetings over the past two days. All precautionary measures had been put in place, and the entire administrative machinery had been placed on high alert. Instructions had been issued to Ministers, District Collectors, and Superintendents of Police to stay vigilant.
The Regional Meteorological Centre has maintained its red alert, indicating possibility of isolated extremely heavy rainfall, for various districts in Tamil Nadu on Saturday and two districts on Sunday, as Cyclone Ditwah continues to move over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal.
Cyclone Ditwah, which brought torrential downpour over Sri Lanka, moved slowly at a speed of 3 kmph over coastal Sri Lanka and southwest Bay of Bengal, about 410 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 510 km south of Chennai, according to a bulletin issued at 6 p.m. on Friday. It is very likely to move across Sri Lanka coast and adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early Sunday. Due to heavy rain, the Mayiladuthurai district administration has declared a holiday for all schools and colleges on Saturday as a precautionary measure. Holiday has also been declared for schools and colleges on Saturday (November 29, 2025) by Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.
With Cyclone Ditwah set to bring intense rainfall over the delta and adjoining districts, the official machinery in the region has been put on high alert to tackle exigencies. Teams of Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force have been moved to Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Pudukottai districts.
(Manas Dasgupta)
