Unseasonal rain likely to hit Odisha, farmers asked to protect harvest

The Met office on Sunday warned that heavy rain and thunderstorm, accompanied by hail, are likely to lash Odisha for three days since January 11, and asked farmers to shift their harvest to a safer place. Some impact on agriculture is expected during the period due to a western disturbance approaching towards eastern India and strong moisture incursion from the Bay Bengal, the weathermen said.

''Light to moderate rainfall activity is very likely at many places over the districts of Odisha during the 11-14th Jan,'' the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said in a bulletin.

It issued a ''yellow warning (Be updated)'' of thunderstorms and hail likely in seven districts - Bargarh, Bolangir, Sonepur, Sambalpur Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Deogarh - on Tuesday.

Thunderstorms and heavy rain may occur in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Boudh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Nayagarh districts on Wednesday.

The weathermen forecast heavy rain in some areas in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh and Kandhamal districts on Thursday.

''The rainfall may commence from 10th Jan at some districts of Western Odisha,'' the bulletin said.

The Met department advised farmers to shift the harvested paddy to a safer place within Monday and postpone sowing of Rabi pulses and oilseeds for a few days.

Matured vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, bean, green pea, carrot, and radish also may be harvested and shifted to a safer place, according to the department.

Arrangements should be made to cover vegetables like onion, tomato, chilly and cauliflower, which are at a seedling stage, with hail nets, plastic cover or polythene sheet. Proper drainage channels should be ensured to drain out excess water in the nursery, as well as the main field, the bulletin said.

Irrigation activities should be stopped for groundnut and mustard crops as most of them are at a flowering stage and the rain will be helpful, the weather office added.