BHUBANESWAR: El Nino hasn’t had any significant impact on Odisha, said Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia on Tuesday.
Responding to a question of Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy in writing, Singhkhuntia informed the Assembly that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier forecast the possibility of El Nino conditions during the southwest monsoon season and below-normal rainfall in Odisha.
However, the impact has not been significant. While the state received only 110 mm of rainfall in June (47 per cent below normal), the formation of low-pressure systems subsequently resulted in a cumulative rainfall of 627.6 mm in July (84 pc above normal), 418.8 mm in August (15 pc above normal) and 1,276.4 mm as of September 18 (around 19 pc surplus), placing it in the normal rainfall category.
Singhkhuntia said that from the first week of July to mid-September, Odisha received an average of 1,264.2 mm of rainfall, around 22.8pc above average of 1,029.1 mm. Boudh recorded excess rainfall, while 16 districts received above-normal rainfall and 12 recorded normal rainfall. Gajapati is the only district that recorded deficient rainfall.
He said the excess rainfall even led to flooding, affecting crops across 21 districts. The state government has initiated adequate measures to address weather-related risks.
The flood-affected farmers in 21 districts are being provided relief through a special relief package, while state and district-level contingency plan prepared by the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department is being implemented, he said.
The Crop Weather Watch Group in the state also meets every Monday during the kharif season and once every two weeks during the rabi season to monitor crop and weather conditions.
Agricultural advisories issued by the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) are also being communicated to farmers, he said.
Singhkhuntia said the department has also directed officials to ensure that tubewells are repaired promptly and kept operational for irrigation during emergencies. The IMD also continues to monitor marine and atmospheric conditions and issue regular forecasts and advisories, he said.
