Remnants of Cyclone Ditwah, now a deep depression lingering 40-100 km off Chennai’s coast, triggered heavy rains leading to 18 domestic flight cancellations at Chennai airport, closures of schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Kancheepuram districts on December 2-3, and an orange-to-red alert for very heavy rainfall exceeding 15 mm per hour with winds of 40-60 kmph.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) deployed 103-107 boats, NDRF/SDRF teams, and 22,000 personnel across low-lying areas like Velachery, Perambur, T Nagar, and north-central zones to combat waterlogging, clear 43 uprooted trees, and rescue residents; statewide impacts include four rain-related deaths, 1,601 damaged huts, 582 cattle losses, and crop damage over 2.11 lakh acres.
Officials like Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran, and Chennai Collector Rashmi Siddharth Zagade reviewed operations, announcing Rs 20,000 per hectare crop relief and urging people to stay indoors; IMD predicts rains subsiding from December 4 as the system weakens and shifts westwards.
Swift Relief Mobilisation
Authorities mounted a robust response to shield residents from the cyclone’s lingering fury, which stalled just 35-50 km offshore, defying forecasts and drenching the city for a second day.
GCC teams pumped water from inundated streets in Perambur, Ambattur, and Teynampet, while boats stood ready in flood-prone Velachery and Thangachimadam, where nearly 200 habitations remained marooned.
Chennai Collector Rashmi Siddharth Zagade declared holidays for educational institutions on December 3, stating, “Intense rainfall and waterlogging risks necessitate this measure; residents must avoid unnecessary travel.”
Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran confirmed four deaths three in Tamil Nadu linked to the rains and pledged swift SDRF compensation, adding, “Crop losses will receive Rs 20,000 per hectare support to aid farmers.”
Chief Minister MK Stalin directed urgent assessments, with NDRF/SDRF clearing debris amid gusts of 45-55 kmph that disrupted power and uprooted trees across 43 locations.
Travellers faced chaos at the airport, where poor visibility grounded flights on Chennai-Port Blair routes, but no major casualties emerged thanks to these preemptive steps.
Cyclone’s Erratic Track and Broader Toll
Cyclone Ditwah crossed Sri Lanka causing significant damage before emerging over the southwest Bay of Bengal, intensifying erratically due to multiple circulations, wind shear, and interaction with landmasses, then weakening into a deep depression without full landfall.
By December 2, centred 40 km east-southeast of Chennai and drifting sluggishly north-northeast at 3-5 kmph, it hugged the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, spawning feeder bands that hammered urban areas with thunderstorms and urban flooding in Chennai, Cuddalore, and Puducherry.
IMD upgraded alerts from orange to red on December 1 as moisture convergence persisted, forecasting heavy showers shifting to Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Rayalaseema, and south Andhra Pradesh by December 3, with fishing bans and LC-III port signals in place.
The slow movement exposed forecasting challenges, reversing expectations of rapid dissipation; north and central Chennai bore the brunt for two days, with suburban flooding compounding woes for daily commuters and farmers facing paddy and banana crop losses.
Private meteorologists noted intense convection bands sweeping intermittently, prolonging disruptions since late November.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Chennai’s ordeal from Cyclone Ditwah’s stubborn remnants reveals the growing spectre of climate volatility, where stalled systems amplify urban vulnerabilities, yet the seamless synergy of government machinery, disaster teams, and alert citizens averted a graver tragedy through empathy-driven action.
From GCC’s boat fleets bailing floodwaters to ministers’ compassionate relief pledges for bereaved families and ruined farmlands, this episode exemplifies how kindness and preparedness foster harmony amid nature’s wrath, urging a shift from reactive fixes to resilient infrastructure like better drains and early warning networks. True coexistence demands collective resolve farmers sharing loss stories, officials amplifying community voices, and residents embracing sustainable habits to nurture peace in our shared ecosystems.
