Odisha: Rain warning for 8 districts in next 48 hours

BHUBANESWAR: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast yellow warning for rainfall in eight districts for the next 48 hours.
Most districts in the state will receive moderate to heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours.
From July 2-3, rainfall will increase further, said H R Biswas, director of the regional IMD centre here.
Odisha has so far received 16% more rainfall than the normal during the initial monsoon period of June 1 to June 29.On an average, the state receives 208.3 mm rainfall during the period.
This year, it has already received 241 mm.
Four districts have received above 60% rainfall while eight have received excess. Fifteen districts have received normal rain and five districts have received deficit rain in the state.
The districts with deficit rainfall are Khurda, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Puri and Jagatsinghpur.
But there is nothing to worry as the intensity of rain is going to increase from Tuesday, said Biswas.
The axis of monsoon trough at mean sea level now passes through Amritsar, Ambala, Delhi, Fursatganj, Jehanabad, Dhanbad, Digha, then south-eastwards to north Bay of Bengal. The trough will cause widespread rain across the state, he pointed out.
Light to moderate rainfall has occurred at most places over the districts of north Odisha and at many places over the districts of south Odisha with heavy rainfall at one or two places over the districts of Dhenkanal, Sundargarh and Nayagarh and Kendrapada. Heavy amount of over 70 mm rainfall recorded at Hindol, Gurudia, Nayagarh and Kendrapada, IMD sources said.
Though monsoon had started well , it has reduced now as a result the crop saplings in the farmland have started drying up. If there will be no rain in the next couple of days then it will adversely affect the production this year, said Dibakar Sahu, a farmer in Khurda district.