Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 28 (ANI): The Meteorological department in Chennai on Friday issued an alert regarding Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, stating that the cyclonic storm, which is centred over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, has moved north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph since the past six hours.

According to the Chennai Met Department, Cyclonic Storm Ditwah remained centred at 8:30 am (IST) over the same region, near a latitude of 8.3N and a longitude of 81.0E. The system is located approximately 40 km southwest of Trincomalee and 100 km northwest of Batticaloa, in Sri Lanka. On the Indian side, the cyclone is located about 320 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 430 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 530 km south of Chennai.

The Chennai Met Department said that it is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards across the Sri Lanka coast & adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, and reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30th.

As Cyclone Ditwah approaches India, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed teams across several districts in Tamil Nadu to carry out precautionary measures amid heavy rainfall, following requests from the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry State Disaster Management Authorities.

Each NDRF team consists of 30 personnel, with a total of eight teams being deployed across the designated districts. Puducherry will receive two teams (60 personnel), while Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore, and Tiruvarur will each have one team stationed for precautionary operations. Additionally, the deployment also includes the Search Dog Unit, featuring four trained sniffer dogs: Rani, Mickey, Laika, and Rambo. These dogs assist rescuers during disasters by helping locate and save people trapped under debris.

In Andhra Pradesh, the State Disaster Management Authority said that heavy rains are expected in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema on Saturday and the day after due to the impact of cyclonic storm Ditwah.

'Over the past six hours, the cyclone has moved at a speed of 8 km per hour. The storm is likely to reach the Southwest Bay of Bengal--near the North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and South Andhra coastal areas--by the day after tomorrow,' Prakhar Jain, Managing Director, Disaster Management Authority, said.'

Due to its impact, heavy rains are expected in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema tomorrow and the day after,' he added. Hence, fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea, and farmers are requested to take necessary precautions during agricultural activities. (ANI)