Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rain in coastal belt of Odisha till Tuesday with the cyclonic storm formed over Bay of Bengal likely to turn into a low pressure on Monday.
Alert has been issued for seven districts of Odisha, with heavy to heavy rainfall prediction for Puri, Jagatsingpur and Kendrapara. Besides, rain is likely to occure in Ganjam, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Balasore and Jajpur districts.
Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea in view of the rough sea conditions on October 29 and 30.
Following the IMD alert, Joint Special Relief Commissioner Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra on Sunday had asked the collectors concerned to remain alert to tackle any eventuality.
The SRC, Agriculture Department and the OUAT had discussed the impact of heavy rain on agriculture. The farmers have been directed to take all the precautions beforehand.
They have been instructed to stock harvested paddy at a safe place and create channels to drain out excess rainwater from the fields.
After the rain, the farmers are required to sprinkle the filed with salted water and add more soil to the vegetables plants. Care should also be taken to prevent pest attacks.
The OUAT asked the farmers to seek help from experts for solutions to pest attacks.