Bhubaneswar: While the India Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon this year, the state has recorded a deficit rainfall of 17.7 per cent in June and July.
According to official data available with the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), the cumulative rainfall in the state in June and July this year remained 457.7 mm against a normal rainfall of 556.4 mm.
Only one district – Koraput – has recorded surplus rainfall of over 19 per cent while 11 districts received normal rainfall. The 11 normal rainfall districts are: Nabarangpur, Malkanagiri, Puri, Kalahandi, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bargarh, Ganjam, Sonepur and Rayagada.
At least 17 district which remained rainfall deficit between 19 per cent and 39 per cent are: Jharsuguda, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Nuapada, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Boudh, Sambalpur, Kendrapara, Balasore, Gajapati, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Angul, Mayurbhanj and Deogarh.
Sundargarh has been categorised as severe deficit district as it has recorded a deficit over 39 per cent and less than 59 per cent during the past two months.
In July alone, the state received 309.4 mm rainfall against the long term average (LTA) of 339.9 mm registering a deficit of 9 per cent.
Malkanagiri district received the maximum rainfall of 633.8 mm (36.1 per cent surplus) and Bhadrak district received the lowest rainfall of 178.9 mm (39.1 per cent deficit) during the month.
On an average, the state experienced 15.4 rainy days in July. There were 13.7 rainy days in July this year while there were 7.4 rainy days against the normal average of 9.9 days in June.
Going by the block-wise rainfall data, 32 blocks have received surplus rainfall, 115 blocks normal, 98 blocks received deficit rainfall (19% to 39%), 63 blocks received severe deficit rainfall (39% to 59%) and six blocks experienced scanty rainfall (more than 59%) during June and July cumulatively.
Six blocks which have experienced scanty rainfall are Odapada in Dhenkanal district (64.1%); Banspal (65.2%) and Joda (59.5%) in Keonjhar district and Nuagaon (69.2%), Subdega (62.3%) and Bonai (60.8%) in Sundargarh district.
