BHUBANESWAR: Low on depression, Orissa has been left high and dry this monsoon. If drought is staring 18 districts on the face, blame it on the low conversion rate of low pressures into depressions this monsoon. Beginning June 1, the State has witnessed just four low pressures and only one has concentrated into a depression. Not surprisingly, large parts of the State have received only sporadic rains. Against the normal expected rainfall of 673 mm, Orissa received just about 511.8 mm (till August 10) leaving a 24 per cent deficit. The weatherman pointed at the Bay of Bengal and said there are not enough systems forming over the Bay to trigger substantial rain. The onset of monsoon on June 14 was triggered by a low pressure which had turned into a depression two days later. That was the only depression of this season. One such low pressure, currently hanging close to the Gangetic West Bengal coast, did not intensify enough to usher in the much-needed rains either. Last year too, at least 10 low pressures formed over the coast but only three induced rains. Going by statistics available with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), every year between June 1 and September 30, the Bay of Bengal records three depressions which cause most rainfall. The past few years’ record points at an alarming decline in the depressions. Both in 2007 and 2008, the Bay of Bengal saw three depressions each. Over the next two years, the systems dried up to just one. The current year threatens to be another such dry year. It is July which sees concentration of low pressures and depressions. Last year, the low pressures formed in rapid succession - on July 2, 4, 6, 24 and 28 while August saw two. This season, the month saw just three low pressures. “We just had four rain-bearing systems but none formed over the Bay of Bengal. Most of them started off over the Bay and adjoining areas of the coast before losing steam,” S C Sahu, Director, IMD, Orissa, pointed out. Had the formations been over Bay of Bengal, the precipitation would have been different altogether since the systems gather strength over the sea. Besides, all the systems formed near the Gangetic West Bengal, towards north of Orissa, did not help the cause. The current low pressure too formed over the same region and did not bring much rain across the State. Only the northern parts such as Mayurbhanj and Balasore received showers.
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