Odisha prepares contingency plan as 11 districts record deficit rainfall: Govt

Of the 30 districts in Odisha, 11 reported deficit rainfall while 18 experienced normal precipitation. Only one district, Boudh, has recorded 21 per cent excess rainfall during the ongoing monsoon.

Bhubaneswar: With about one-third of the state’s geographical area experiencing deficit rainfall due to weak monsoon, Odisha government has prepared a contingency plan to deal with the situation, a top official said.

Of the 30 districts, 11 reported deficit rainfall while 18 experienced normal precipitation. Only one district, Boudh, has recorded 21 per cent excess rainfall during the ongoing monsoon.

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The districts (till August 30) which come under deficit rainfall category are: Nawrangpur (-41%), Kendrapara (-37), Kalahandi (-36), Ganjam (-35), Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Khurda (-28), Puri, Cuttack (-26), Rayagada (-25) and Koraput (-22).

The districts which record deficit rainfall within minus 20 per cent to minus 59 per cent are considered as deficit areas.

Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu told reporters that some places in the state experienced deficit rainfall this year so far.
“The agriculture department has prepared a contingency plan to deal with the situation,” the SRC said.

He said the department will take measures as per the contingency plan on how to maintain the standing crops and start fresh cultivation where crops have been completely damaged.

The SRC, however, the IMD has forecast good rainfall in September.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, the state since June 1, 2013 till August 30, 2023, has received a rainfall of 783.1 mm against the normal precipitation of 906.5 mm thus recording a cumulative deficit of about 14 per cent.

However, Regional Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar director HR Biswas said though the state is going through a weak monsoon, the situation will change from September 1.

He said the IMD forecast heavy rain and thunderstorm with lightning in several districts from the first week of September.

With the gradual strengthening of monsoon flow over the state, the intensity of rain is also likely to increase from the beginning of September, Biswas said, adding that a cyclonic circulation also lies over Northeast & adjoining East-central Bay of Bengal and numerical model indicates possibility of a fresh low pressure by September 4, which could further increase the intensity of rain in the state.

According to IMD’s midday bulletin, thunderstorm with lightning may occur at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Dhenkanal, Boudh, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Balangir and Nuapada on August 31.