Odisha records 31 per cent deficient rain

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has received 171.7 mm rainfall, 31 per cent less than normal due to the prevalence of a weak monsoon which has affected agricultural activities across the State, the IMD said. The State received deficient rainfall between June 1 and July 4 compared to the normal of 247.4 mm, it said.

However, Deogarh district recorded 331.8 mm rainfall, the highest in the State during the period, which is 41 per cent more than the normal of 238.9 mm. Rayagada, on the other hand, received the least rainfall of 56.7 mm against the normal of 213.9 mm, marking a departure of 73 per cent during the same period.

Deficient rainfalls of 68 per cent and 65 per cent were recorded in Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts respectively. The actual rainfall in the two districts till Monday was 85.6 mm and 78.2 mm respectively.

The coastal districts of Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Ganjam along with the southern districts of Gajapati, Koraput and Nabarangpur and Boudh, Sonepur, Balangir and Nuapada in the west are the worst hit. The rain deficit in these districts ranged between 22 per cent and 57 per cent, the weatherman said.

The State as a whole received only 3.6 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, which is 62 per cent less than the normal precipitation of 9.4 mm.

The IMD, in its mid-day bulletin on Tuesday, said though the southwest monsoon was subdued over Odisha, heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Gajapati districts. The IMD issued a yellow warning in these areas for the next five days.