Drought looming large in Odisha

The Odisha government has geared up its machinery as several districts in the state are facing drought-like situation due to deficient rainfall.

The Odisha government has geared up its machinery as several districts in the state are facing drought-like situation due to deficient rainfall during June-August period . The state has received 13% less rainfall until August 10, 2015.

The situation, is much worse in at least six districts out of the 30 in the state where the deficit is as high as 40% . The districts of

Bolagir, Koraput, Kondhmal, Khorda, Nayagarh and Puri have received below normal rainfall while 11 other districts have received less than the average rainfall.

Indian Meteorology Department(IMD) has reported the state has received about 110 mm less rainfall till August 10. The state has received 570 mm rainfall as against the average rainfall of 680 during this period. While Puri, Nayagarh and Khordha districts received 40 per cent less than the normal rainfall, there has been 39 less rainfall in Bolangir district and 37 per cent less in Kandhamal and Koraput districts each.

Agriculture activities like transplantation has been badly affected as the soil continues to remain dry. This kharif season, about 20.52 lakh hectares of land out of the total 61.80 lakh hectares cultivable areas have been covered under cultivation.

“We have drawn a contingency plan to tackle the situation”, said the state agriculture director, Dr.Pramod Kumar Meherda. He said that the farmers are being advised to go for drought resistant varieties of paddy, pulses and oil seed crops.

As 111 of the 314 blocks in the state have received less than the average rainfall so far, the state government has formed a high-power committee to keep a watch on the drought like situation arised due to scanty fain fall. The committee will review the position on weekly basis.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to provide 40,000 water pump sets to farmers at a subsidised price, besides supplying quality seeds and fertilizers. The energy department has been working on energizing at least 13,000 deep bore wells by August 15.

“We have already announced Rs 15,000 subsidy on purchase of pump set by farmers in rain deficient areas”, said the state agriculture principal secretary, Rajesh Verma.

The state agriculture department had programmed to cover 61.66 lakh hectares of land under kharif cultivation 2015 with a target of achieving 101 lakh tones of food grain production. While 41 lakh hectares would be covered under cereals including 35 lakh hectares of paddy, other crops like pulses, oilseed, fibres, vegatables and spices will be cultivated in the remaining farmland. Now with the spectre of drought looming large over some part of Odisha, the state agriculture departments ambitious kharif programme may require a revision if rain continues to elude the state.