Other States - Orissa   

Erratic monsoon sets alarm bells ringing

BHUBANESWAR: The heavy rain that signalled the onset of monsoon held a lot of promise for the farming community.

But the initial joy gave way to despair as the all-important month of July ended with the State receiving rainfall that was much below the amount required for taking up agricultural activities.

Agro-meteorology Department of Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) estimated that 19 out of 30 districts received deficit rainfall during the month of July. It said that if the dry spell continued for a week or more, the situation could then turn alarming.

The rainfall was highly erratic during the monsoon season. While four districts, including Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh, received excess rainfall, there were deviations ranging between 20 per cent and 60 per cent in the 19 districts. In the remaining seven districts, the rainfall was normal.

“The period between July 15 and August 15 is the most important time in the State’s agriculture calendar. Farmers undertake transplanting during this time.

]Against the required average 340 mm of rainfall, the State received 260 mm by the end of July,” said Director of the department Surendra Pasupalak on Tuesday.

Reports from several pockets of coastal Orissa said paddy leaves started wilting and rolling due to inadequate rainfall. The situation worsened as the rate of evaporation was also increasing.

In Bhubaneswar, the rate of evaporation was measured to above 4 mm per day against the required 3.5 mm per day since July 27, with an exception on Monday.

As per the statistics provided by OUAT, Puri was the worst hit region with the district receiving a rainfall of 64.8 per cent less than the normal.

The districts where high deficit rainfall was recorded included Malkanagiri (63.5 per cent), Gajapati (56), Khurda (55), Jagatsinghpur (52.3), Kandhamal (47.4) and Sonepur (46.9).

Several districts registered less than 200 mm that was necessary for progress of agriculture activities. Gajapati district received 98.2 mm followed by Puri with 99.3 mm, Jagatsinghpur (128 mm), Khurda (132.8 mm).

Mr. Pasupalak said the dry spell, along with sporadic rainfall was likely to continue till August 4. After that, there could be widespread rain due to occurrence of a possible upper air cyclonic circulation.

In the event of inadequate rainfall, upland cultivation might be the first casualty, he said.

The State has about 61 lakh hectares cultivable land. Of it, paddy cultivation is taken up in 41 lakh hectares. In the rest, maize, millets, pulses and oilseeds are grown.

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