Mercury soars with no sign of monsoon in Chhattisgarh

Maximum temperature in Chhattisgarh's capital city has reached 40 Degree Celsius at the onset of July with monsoon clouds nowhere near the sight.

Even in the month of July, Raipur had registered a maximum temperature of 40 Degree Celsius in last six and a half decades. This was high time when maximum parts of the state were drenched in the monsoon showers.

Officials in the agriculture department said that for another three or four days, there was no sign of rains in the state.

"There is no cloud formation seen and hence the possibility of good rains in next couple of days is bleak," they added.Normally, monsoon reaches Chhattisgarh in the second week of June.

The meteorology department had predicted a delay in the monsoon by a week.

But the state had failed to receive rains that could accelerate the agriculture work.The farmers in the state take paddy as major kharif crop during the season. According to experts, the agriculture work had been delayed by 15 days in the state. They however felt it was not too late and even if it rains heavy in another 10 days, the loss could be compensate.

"The scanty rainfall situation in the state is yet to assume alarming proportion," said Virendra Pandey, an agriculture expert.

The farmers had been advised to take early maturing variety of paddy, he said, adding that if it did not rain heavily in next 10 days, the state could slip into a drought like situation.