Farmers worried as Met dept predicts heavy showers in Odisha

Farmers | The government also announced Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, a scheme to enhance the productivity of cows.

Odisha received an average rainfall of 2.8mm today and the meteorological department has predicted heavy to very heavy showers in the state over the next two days.

A well-marked low pressure over southwest Bay of Bengal, nearly 565km away from Gopalpur, is likely to intensify into depression in the next 24 hours, the MeT department said.

"Due to its (low pressure) movement and further intensification, rain may occur in the coastal districts of Odisha for the next two to three days," S C Sahu, director of India Meteorological Department, Bhubaneswar, said today.

The forecast has made farmers, who have already suffered crop loss due to pest attacks, a worried lot. The agriculture department has asked the peasants to shift their paddy to safer places but many of them rued that their standing crops were not ready for harvest.

"We could not reap our crops as they are not harvest-ready. Heavy rain may cause irreparable damage to our paddy," said Narayan Samal, a farmer in Kendrapara district.

Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh, Gajapati, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts are some of the districts that are likely to experience heavy rainfall till November 17, the MeT department said.

Surface winds gusting up to 45-55 km/hr may also prevail along and off the Odisha Coast, it warned, adding that fishermen should not venture into the sea for now.

A communication from the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office said Puri received the maximum rainfall today, followed by Ganjam district and Nayagarh.