Odisha govt asks districts to ensure safety of paddy amid heavy rainfall forecast

Under its influence, heavy rainfall is expected over north-coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha from Friday night for the subsequent 48 hours.Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea from Thursday when wind speed of 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph are likely over the ocean.The weather office said that the present dry spell is conducive for continuation of cold wave conditions in several districts.

The Odisha government on Monday directed the district authorities to ensure safe storage of harvested paddy amid forecast of heavy rainfall over the coming weekend due to an impending low-pressure area, officials said.

In a letter to the district authorities, Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said that where paddy crops are ready for harvest, steps should be taken to harvest and store those safely to avoid any damage due to rain.

In mandis or yards, necessary steps must be taken to protect paddy against the rain, he said, directing the district collectors to closely monitor the emerging situation and take necessary action.

Jena also asked the collectors to ensure that the weather office's advisory for fisherfolks is strictly implemented.

He also directed the collectors to immediately inform the State Emergency Operation Centre about any incident due to rain.

The weather office has predicted that the low-pressure area is likely to form over the South Andaman Sea by Tuesday. The system is set to move northwestwards and become a depression over the Bay of Bengal during the subsequent 48 hours. Under its influence, heavy rainfall is expected over north-coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha from Friday night for the subsequent 48 hours.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the deep sea from Thursday when wind speed of 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph are likely over the ocean.

The weather office said that the present dry spell is conducive for continuation of cold wave conditions in several districts. In the last 24 hours, several places across the state recorded sub-15 degrees Celsius temperature.

Daringibadi in Kandhamal district was the coldest at 9.5 degrees Celsius. Phulbani recorded 10 degrees Celsius, Titlagarh was at 11.8 degrees Celsius and Sonepur recorded 12 degrees Celsius, the weather office said.

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