Odisha gets 9.9 % surplus rain during June-Sept, 2019

Odisha has received 9.9 per cent surplus rainfall between June and September this year following good shower after July, an official report said.

While cumulative rainfall in the state was deficient by 31.5 per cent and 9.0 per cent respectively in June and July, rainfall in August and September remained surplus by 24.5 per cent and 53.7 per cent respectively, a Revenue and Disaster Management department report said.

During the current year, advance of the South-West Monsoon was delayed. Against normal timing of second week of June for arrival in Odisha, it advanced into the state on June 21 and covered 16 coastal, adjoining and southern districts in full and parts of 6 other districts, the report said.

The entire state was covered on June 22, but the rainfall remained quite inadequate in most parts of the state during the last week of June and the first three and half weeks of July delaying agricultural activities, it said.

Thereafter, good rainfall was received towards the end of July and the trend continued in August and September. Due to heavy rainfall, flood and severe waterlogging situations were experienced in many southern and western districts of Odisha at least in three spells.

These three spells were experienced from July 27 to August 5, August 6 to 11 and August 12 to 16, it said.

A moderate flood was experienced in River Mahanadi in the third spell. Bolangir town received record 555 mm rainfall in a single day on August 13 which created an unprecedented flood situation in the western Odisha town.

The district-wise cumulative rainfall data for the period from June 1 to September 30 indicates that Malkanagiri received the highest rainfall of 1888.6 mm (31.9 per cent surplus) and Gajapati district received the lowest rainfall of 945.8 mm (2.6% surplus).

As many as 10 districts -- Koraput, Kalahandi, Jharsuguda, Puri, Malkangiri, Balangir, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Subarnapur and Cuttack received surplus rainfall of more than 19 per cent during June-September, the report said.

Nineteen districts which received normal rainfall (+ 19% to - 19%) during the same period are Bargarh, Khordha, Nayagarh, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, Jagatsinghpur, Gajapati, Jajpur, Sambalpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal, Nuapada, Boudh, Balasore, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Angul.

Rainfall in Deogarh district remained deficit between 19 per cent and 39 per cent during the period from June 1 to September 30.

The state experienced a total of 50.2 rainy days during June to September 2019 against the normal average of 52.4 rainy days. There were 7.4 rainy days in June, 13.7 rainy days in July, 14.6 in August and 14.5 rainy days in September, the report added.