Cyclone Ditwah

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Why in News?

Cyclone Ditwah, located off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, weakened into a deep depression. The cyclone’s name has highlighted the WMO/ESCAP system of naming tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean.

Description:

  • Tropical Cyclone: Intense low-pressure system over tropical oceans with strong winds & heavy rain.
  • RSMC: Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (IMD is RSMC for North Indian Ocean).
  • TCWC: Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre.
  • WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC): Regional body responsible for naming cyclones in this basin.

WMO: World Meteorological Organization

ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

About the Naming System:
1.    Who Names Tropical Cyclones?
  • Cyclones across the world are named by RSMCs and TCWCs designated by the WMO.
  • RSMC: Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (IMD is RSMC for North Indian Ocean).
  • TCWC: Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre.
  • For the North Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal), naming is done by: WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) + IMD (as RSMC New Delhi).
2.   Origin of the Present Naming System:
  • In 2000, eight countries under WMO/ESCAP (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand) decided to begin naming cyclones.
  • Each country submitted name lists; more countries were added later.
  • The Panel finalised a rotational naming list used over many years.
3.   Current Members of WMO/ESCAP Panel (13 countries):
  • Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE, Yemen.
Rules for Naming Tropical Cyclones:

Names proposed by member countries must be:

  • Neutral to politics, political personalities, cultures, religion, and gender.
  • Short, simple, easy to pronounce.
  • Not offensive to any member country.
  • Meaningful and consistent with the language/culture of the proposing country.
  • Once used, the name is retired from the list.

NOTE: The name “Ditwah” means “lagoon” and was suggested by Yemen. It specifically refers to the Detwah Lagoon on Socotra Island, Yemen.

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