Bolangir: Already a few months into the monsoon season, deficit rainfall has been a cause of concern for farmers of Titlagarh sub-division with locals of Ghantasagada, Sanamula villages invoking Lord Indra for rains through ‘yajna’.
A drought-like situation looms large in four out of five blocks in Titlagarh. Shortfall in rain has turned the farmlands parched.
With no option left, villagers have resorted to age old practice of performing yajna to please the God of rains – Indra!
“We are bearing the brunt of drought since last three years. This year in July initially some rains helped us row paddy but ever since it has been quite dry with very less rain. We also have a canal in the area but our villages do not have access to its water so seedlings have not sprouted raising concern of a ‘gaja marudi’,” Arjun Kumar Mishra, a Sanamula resident said.
“Hoping for some miracle, we villagers unanimously decided to hold pujas to invoke Lord Indra so that we get rains to cultivate land,” he added.
Meanwhile, district agriculture department sources said even if it rains within the next week, the situation could improve.
“Barring Tureikela, four other blocks of the sub-division have received 40 to 60 percent deficit rainfall till now. Even though we had completed rowing, processes like transplantation and intercultural operations (beusan) are still to be done and we hope if it rains in the next week, we can start the process,” District Agriculture Officer Chittaranjan Sahu, said.