Post-‘Aila’, Orissa feels the heat

Expressbuzz, 28th May, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: With ‘Aila’ sucking away the moisture and weakening the monsoon system for a brief period, sweltering conditions have returned with a vengeance.
The Western Orissa, bereft of any rains during this whole period, is bearing the brunt.
Large parts of the western districts reeled under heatwave conditions even as there was no progress in monsoon activity over the region. Temperature in towns like Sambalpur and Jharsuguda was close to 45 degree Celsius, followed by Hirakud (44.5), Titlagarh (44), Bhawanipatna (43.7) and Sundargarh (41.3).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, though the Bay of Bengal wing of the south west monsoon was passing through some parts of Orissa, rainfall activity was missing which could be attributed to formation of ‘Aila’. While it may have activated the monsoon but played spoilsport at the same time.
‘‘The monsoon current is present over Bay of Bengal and parts of Orissa and it can be seen from the rainfall activity. Had there been no monsoon current, there would not have been rains in such a vast area,’’ IMD Director SC Sahu explained.
Sahu points at ‘Bijli’, another system formed off the Orissa coast recently but it did not result in rain in Orissa since there was no monsoon current.
Besides, the extreme humid conditions in coastal areas, including the Capital City Bhubaneswar, is also indicative of prevalence of monsoon current. The city today recorded 36.6 degree Celsius but experienced severe humidity.
However, Sahu agreed that the Arabian Sea branch of the south west monsoon must be active to trigger sustained rainfall over the entire State which is yet to happen. The Arabian Sea wing is gaining strength and within a week, a clear picture on the monsoon’s progress would emerge.