BHUBANESWAR: The heavy to extremely heavy rainfall which lashed Odisha in the past few days under the impact of the weather system over Bay of Bengal not just eliminated the rain deficit but also pushed the state into a four per cent surplus, between June 1 to July 5.
On Sunday, the weather system intensified into a depression over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of north Odisha-West Bengal coasts, and moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 7 km/ph, laying over the same region, about 40 km south of Balasore, 50 km north-northeast of Chandbali and 70 km southwest of Digha.
The system is likely to move west-northwestwards and cross north Odisha coast between Chandbali and Digha close to Balasore during next 12 hours. It is expected to continue to move west-northwestwards, across north Odisha and north Chhattisgarh in the next 24 hours. Under the influence of the system, the monsoon remained active and triggered extremely heavy rainfall in nine places, very heavy showers in 47 places and heavy rainfall in 64 stations in the last 24 hours.
Khajuripada in Kandhamal recorded the maximum rainfall of 276 mm, followed by Turekela 264 mm, Phulbani 224.4 mm, Phiringia 223.6 mm, G Udayagiri 220 mm, Tikabali 217 mm, Titilagarh 205.4 mm and Chakapada 204.6 mm.
The five districts which recorded highest above normal rainfall departure in the last 24 hours are Kandhamal 2,112 per cent, Puri 1,893 pc, Jajpur 1,793 pc, Cuttack 1,506 pc and Balangir 1,567 pc. The system continued to trigger heavy downpours in the state on Sunday. Sonepur received 146.4 mm rains between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on the day.
Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty said, “Odisha received 62.8 mm rainfall against its average of 8.4 mm in the last 24 hours. Some districts are likely to receive heavy showers in the next 24 hours but the system’s influence is expected to wane from Tuesday onwards.”
This widespread and intense spell successfully erased the rainfall deficit that Odisha was facing prior to the arrival of this weather system, bringing much-needed relief to the state’s agricultural sector.
The rains significantly enhanced the prospects for kharif season, especially for cultivation of rice, which is the mainstay of Odisha’s agriculture. Many farmers who were waiting for adequate monsoon rains can now proceed with paddy transplantation and sowing of other kharif crops like maize, groundnut and pulses.