Heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Phethai lashed several parts of Odisha Tuesday, causing major damage to standing crops and harvested paddy stocked in the southern and western regions of the state.
Rainfall is likely to continue in many areas of south and western Odisha till Wednesday as the cyclonic storm weakened gradually after it barrelled through coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, the Meteorological Centre said.
The well-marked low pressure area over the north-west and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal and Odisha has further weakened into a low pressure area, H R Biswas, Director of the Meteorological Centre here, said.
Inclement weather affected normal life in different parts of south and western Odisha, but no casualty was reported, a senior official said, adding that power supply was disrupted in some areas.
Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said Balangir district recorded the highest rainfall of 92.4 mm, followed by 77.9 mm in Jharsuguda and 74.4 mm in Sambalpur during the last 24 hours under the impact of the cyclone.
While 100 blocks received more than 50 mm of rainfall, the average rainfall in the state during the period was recorded at 37.5 mm, he said.
Regarding loss of crops and harvested paddy, Sethi said financial assistance would be provided to farmers after obtaining detailed reports and making a thorough assessment of the affected areas.
He said there were reports about damage to paddy crops in some districts in the south and western regions of the state.
On the basis of the district collectors' reports, the extent of crop damage would be ascertained and financial assistance provided to the affected farmers from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and in accordance with the insurance provisions, Sethi said.
Heeding to the state government's advice, farmers in many parts of Odisha had taken precautionary measures to protect their crops from the rain.
However, farmers in several areas still suffered considerable losses, as the rain damaged standing paddy and cotton crops, along with harvested paddy stocks stashed in open fields.
Squally winds swept the south Odisha coast on Tuesday but rainfall is likely to subside from Wednesday, Biswas said.
He added that Thursday onwards, there would be a fall in temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
In view of the cyclonic storm, as many as 11,600 people were evacuated in Gajapati district, even as houses ravaged by Cyclone 'Titli' in October are yet to be fully repaired, another senior official said.
People from seven vulnerable blocks in Gajapati district have been accommodated in safer places, he added.
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