Erratic rainfall has hit agriculture in Balangir district. Picture by Sudeep Kumar Guru

Balangir, Sept. 13: Drought threat looms large over Balangir district as rain continues to elude the area.

On Sunday, Nabanna or Nuakhai, the most popular festival of western Orissa, was observed here without much fanfare.

The sustained dry spell in the area has marred the prospects of a good crop.

Nuakhai is the traditional harvest festival of western Orissa in which the first crop (paddy) of the kharif season is offered to the local god and then consumed by the family members.

Dambaru Pradhan, a farmer of Deogaon, said he went for a low-key Nuakhai this year because his crops were not yet ready for harvest since he had to delay the cultivation process due to erratic rainfall.

“I have just finished the transplantation process and am worried because there has been no rain for 15 days now. We celebrated Nuakhai just as a formality without any fanfare,” he said.

Minaketan Jhankar of Ranipur said he celebrated Nuakhai just for the sake of it.

“I am very upset as I can see no prospect of a good crop. Scanty rainfall is not enough to save my crop. So, we didn’t observe Nuakhai in a big way,” he said.

According to sources, Balangir district recorded 692.7mm of rainfall till August, while the average rainfall is 1,289.8mm.

In June, the district received 69.3mm rain against an average of 202.8mm with most of the rain occurring in just two days. The month had as many as 20 dry days which delayed cultivation in the district.

In July, the district received an impressive 370.7mm rainfall while the average is just 360.5 mm. This had accelerated agricultural activities in the district.

However, the joy of the farmers was short-lived as August saw another dry spell with just 252.7 mm rain against an average of 336mm. September has been more or less dry with scattered rainfall.

According to deputy director of agriculture (DDA) office sources, the plan was to cultivate paddy in 1.88 lakh hectare of land in Balangir district.

With only three per cent of assured irrigation actually available, farmers here solely depend on rainwater.

Deputy director of agriculture (DDA) Manoranjan Mallick said that situation was not very alarming.

“Erratic rainfall has definitely affected paddy cultivation in Balangir. But the situation is not drought-like here,” he said.

Mallick said that three blocks—Belpada, Khaprakhole and Patnagarh—were hit by inadequate rainfall.

“In many areas of these blocks, farmers have not yet taken up transplantation work. We have advised the farmers to get ready for ravi crops in areas where there is serious threat of drought,” Mallick said.