Chennai airport cancels 47 flights, IMD forecasts heavy rainfall in these states

IMD has issued a red alert for parts of several states in southern India.

As Cyclone Ditwah approaches the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, 47 flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled at Chennai Airport due to threat of heavy rain. Of the 47 flights, 36 are domestic and 11 are international. More flights are expected to be canceled if the hurricane intensifies further. Therefore, passengers scheduled to travel tomorrow are advised to contact their respective airlines to confirm their departure time and plan their travel accordingly, Chennai Airport officials said.

The canceled domestic flights include 18 flights from Chennai to Madurai, Tiruchi, Thoothukudi and Salem and 18 flights from the same cities to Chennai. Among the 11 international flights, six outbound flights from Chennai (5 flights) and Jaffna (1 flight) were canceled and five inbound flights were cancelled, four from Colombo and one from Jaffna. On Sunday, 27 outgoing flights and 27 incoming flights from Chennai Airport to various destinations such as Madurai, Tiruchi, Thoothukudi, Salem, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Jaffna (Sri Lanka) were canceled from early morning to midnight, taking the total to 54 flights.

Strong winds and heavy rains lashed the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Ditwah approached the coast on Saturday. The cyclone that caused damage in Sri Lanka has moved north-northwest at a speed of 10 km per hour in the last six hours and will approach the coasts of North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Andhra Pradesh by Sunday morning, the IMD said on Saturday. The cyclone will come within 25 kilometers of the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday evening. “It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach the coasts of North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining southern Andhra Pradesh over the southwestern Bay of Bengal in the early morning hours of November 30. As it moves north-northwestward, the cyclonic storm will center over the southwestern Bay of Bengal at a minimum distance of 60 km, 50 km and 25 km from the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline by midnight today, November 29, tomorrow early morning and evening, November 30, respectively,” he said. IMD in a post on X.

IMD has issued a red alert in some parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as a precautionary measure. IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rains with extremely heavy rain at isolated spots, possibly over Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu districts and Puducherry-Karaikal district. In Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, due to heavy rainfall, excess water from urban and suburban areas flowed towards the Port Trust coastal area and mixed into the sea. There is unusual turbulence in the sea there. Due to intensified marine activity, seaweeds and similar vegetation from the seabed are being dragged to the shore in significant quantities.

Coastal areas of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh also witnessed turbulent sea, strong winds and rainfall. Also, on Saturday, Railway Minister Ashiwini Viashnaw reviewed the preparedness with Southern Railway to ensure disruption is minimal. A post on Railway Ministry he said.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has set up 6,000 camps across the state, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said on Saturday. KKSSR Ramachandran said, “We have set up as many camps as possible in the cyclone-affected areas for people to stay. As of now, we have set up 6000 camps all over Tamil Nadu, but people have come in very small numbers… The rain (clouds) are currently moving from Ramanathapuram district towards the coastal areas and there is not much impact due to rain.” The Minister also informed that 28 teams from both NDRF and SDRF have been deployed to provide assistance to civilians. “We have 28 teams deployed from both NDRF and SDRF. We have requested an additional 10 teams. They are also arriving by flight now. We have also asked for help from the Coast Guard in case of any disaster,” he said.

The minister also informed that rainwater has affected paddy cultivation in the delta areas of the Cauvery River. The minister said the government will also give compensation to farmers. “Paddy cultivation is negatively affected due to floods caused by rainwater in Delta Districts. We expect it to withdraw within 2 days, and when it is finished, we will calculate the loss and pay compensation to the farmers,” he said. Air India, in a post on “For any assistance, please contact our 24/7 Call Center at 011-69329333 / 011-69329999,” they added.

Cyclone Ditwah, which is expected to reach Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday evening, killed 123 people in Sri Lanka and 130 people were reported missing. The extreme weather system destroyed nearly 15,000 homes across the country and nearly 44,000 people were sent to government-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said on Saturday.

(Except for the title, this news has not been edited by the DNA team and is published from ANI news agency).