The administration had made all efforts to ensure that waterlogging and traffic snarls were minimal and Chief Minister M K Stalin had a deliberation with Collectors of the districts that faced the wrath of cyclone. With the cyclonic storm lingering close to the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, the rains were continuing though the system had weakened into a deep depression.

The Indian Meteorological Department expected the deep depression to weaken further but bring copious showers to the State but issued a red alert to Chennai and its adjoining areas besides forecasting heavy rains districts like Ranipet, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu. With the rains likely to continue overnight,a holiday was announced for schools and colleges in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram and Thirvallur for Tuesday

Heavy rains were also predicted in the western and delta districts of the State. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited the Command-and-Control Centre run by the Chennai Corporation and checked out the images beamed by the CCTV cameras fixed to monitor the free flow of water through canals and waterways.

Since the cyclonic system is likely to move in the northerly direction before dissipating, there is a possibility of heavy rains flowing into the water bodies already filled close to the brim. However, experts ruled out a repeat of the 2015 floods as the authorities have been keeping a close vigil on the water bodies in Chennai.

In some of the districts, the rains could wreak havoc on the standing crops. Apart from the Cauvery delta where the paddy crops are in danger, in Thoothukudi one lakh plantain trees and 1000s of acres of Papaya could be affected, farmers fear. In Tiruvallur, acres of paddy crops were immersed in water as rains continued.

Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami demanded adequate compensation for the farmers who had lost their crop due to Cyclone Ditwah by conducting a proper enumeration of damages. He said farmers cultivating other crops like plantain, sugarcane, betel leaves were also fearing heavy loss due to the rains.

A common problem reported in the districts in the delta region and the coastal areas was the inundation of the fields that had immersed the standing crops. Most of the crops would be rendered useless, they fear.

In Tiruvannamalai, where the government is making arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Karthigai Deepam festivities by ensuring all arrangements for meeting the needs of the devotees were on without any hitch, a tragic incident of cloudburst and landslide claimed the lives of seven persons was reported.

Otherwise, no major mishap was brought about by the cyclone in Tamil Nadu, where people had been playing safe and the authorities were also maintaining a close watch based on the inputs from the IMD.