Odisha faces highest lightning strikes in country, but sees lowest deaths

Bhubaneswar: With nine lakh lightning strikes, Odisha alone accounted for 15% of the total such strikes in the country between April 1 and July 31. It was followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh that together witnessed more than 50% of lightning strikes during the same period.
This was revealed in the Mid-Monsoon Lightning Report 2019, a study jointly prepared by the Climate Resilient Observing System Promotion Council (CROPC), the India Meteorological Department, ministry of earth science and World Vision, a voluntary organisation.
However, Odisha is ahead of other states in preventing deaths from lightning strikes. It has managed to bring down the number of deaths through the implementation of an early warning system, installation of lightning protection devices and lightning-resilient shelters.
Odisha recorded the minimal casualty of 129 among other states despite experiencing more than nine lakh strikes between April and July, while Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of casualties (224) due to lightning followed by 170 in Bihar, 118 in Jharkhand, 102 in Madhya Pradesh.
“This is a unique study, which aims to map areas vulnerable to lightning and to create lightning- resistant infrastructure based on an early warning system. I feel that this initiative will go a long way in mitigating loss to life and property owing to lightning strikes,” Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of IMD, said. The need of the hour is to focus on protecting people from lightning strikes. He added that cent per cent safety can be assured through the installation of lightning protection devices only.
The recent observations of lightning strikes over India confirmed that the Chhotanagpur plateau, which marks the confluence of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and is mostly inhabited by tribals, is the most lightning-prone area. The population of some tribal communities like Birhors, Pahadiyas, Hos, Hmars is fast dwindling and lightning strikes is to blame partially for that. They need to be protected from such fatal strikes, the report said.
The study, which was a part of the Lightning Resilient India Campaign, pointed out that states like Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and the Northeast have successfully brought down the number of deaths due to lightning by implementing early warning systems. Despite increase in lightning strikes in these states, the casualties have been less compared to the previous years. States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar need to undertake immediate steps to prevent deaths as they have incurred the maximum losses despite much less strikes, the report maintained.
When severe cyclonic storm Fani made landfall in Odisha on May 3, the state had witnessed more than one lakh intense lightning strikes. But owing to its preparedness, Odisha saw zero casualties. All the 891 cyclone shelters were fitted with lightning arresters. More than 1.2 million people were shifted safely to cyclone shelters.
Cyclone Fani weakened on May 4 and advanced northwest to Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The dissipating cloud of weak Fani had triggered a few weak lightning strikes causing 10 deaths at Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh. The reason for the same could be attributed to lack of early warning and lightning safe infrastructure, the survey said.
Asking other states to emulate the steps taken by Odisha, the report said, “The essence of saving life from lightning lies in the installation of lightning protection devices like arresters and good quality conductors in vulnerable buildings and community centres. Owing to this, there were zero casualties in intense lightning zones of Cyclone Fani in the state. Uttar Pradesh lacked the same. Hence, it saw 10 deaths from weak dissipating bolt strikes.”
State’s special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said, “Odisha has already developed a robust disaster preparedness infrastructure with the construction of 879 multi-purpose cyclone shelters and an early warning dissemination system by setting up 122 warning towers, which helps the state government to disseminate information till the last mile.”