Red alert in India's Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Ditwah lingers
Large areas of northern Tamil Nadu, India, remained on high alert on Tuesday as heavy rain bands associated with the remnants of Cyclone Ditwah hovered near the coast, causing intense downpours, flooding, and major disruptions to daily life.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu, forecasting heavy rainfall exceeding 15mm per hour, along with thunderstorms and winds of 40–60 kmph, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The deep depression, situated less than 50 km east of Chennai for several hours, has been drifting slowly southwestward.
According to the IMD, the system—formerly Cyclone Ditwah—has weakened but still retains its strength as a depression. At 5:30 a.m., it was centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, near the north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast, just 25–35 km from land.
Meteorologists expect it to weaken further into a well-marked low pressure area after it moves closer to the coastline over the next 12 hours.
The proximity of the depression brought unrelenting rain to the Chennai region through the morning. Several arterial roads were submerged, neighbourhoods were waterlogged, and slow-moving traffic clogged major junctions. Vehicles crawled through knee-deep water in many parts of the city as public movement slowed to a near standstill. Authorities urged residents to stay indoors unless necessary and to avoid flood-prone stretches.
With intense rainfall predicted, district administrations in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu declared a holiday for all schools and colleges. Chennai District Collector Roshni Siddharth Jagade confirmed that the measure was taken as a precaution to ensure student safety amid the possibility of worsening waterlogging. Madras University and Anna University also postponed semester examinations scheduled for Tuesday. Revised dates will be announced later.
Meanwhile, the impact of the cyclone’s strong winds has been felt beyond the capital. In Mayiladuthurai district, banana farmers reported extensive damage after gusty winds flattened nearly 1,500 trees in Aaru Paadhi village of Tharangambadi taluk. Officials said 37.1 hectares of banana cultivation — out of an average 511 hectares cultivated annually in the district — had been inundated by rain and storm-related flooding.
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