The agriculture operations in the state are likely to get a boost as many places received rain under the impact of a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal in the past 24 hours.
Official sources said the total agriculture coverage in the state was reduced by about three lakh hectare by so far compared to the last due to delay in arrival of monsoon and weak monsoon condition. “This rain would help to activate agriculture operations further in kharif in the state, particularly for transplantations,” said an agriculture department official.
The rainfall in the past 24 hours recorded by local meteorological centre on Friday morning said Rairakhol in Sambalpur district during this period received highest rainfall of 130 mm and Naktideul, Kakatpur (120 mm) and Deogarh (110 mm).
On Friday, Puri received highest rainfall of 31 mm followed by Cuttack and Bolangir recording 17 mm rainfall. Bhubaneswar received 5.5 mm rainfall. The weathermen forecast that this system would lead to more showers on Saturday even as it has got little chance to intensify further.
The total rainfall in the state this year stood less than normal due to weak monsoon condition. The state in this monsoon received 641 mm rainfall which was five percent deficit compared to normal rainfall of 672.4 mm rainfall. The rainfall deficit in the eight of 30 districts in the state also continued.
Balasore experienced the highest rainfall deficit of 41 per cent followed by Deogarh (33 per cent), Bhadrak (32 per cent), Jajpur (27 per cent), Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada (26 per cent), Mayurbhanj and Gajapati (23 per cent).
