A few States have demanded that “lightning” be declared as a “natural disaster” because deaths caused by it surpass any other disaster in the country.
Key points
- According to present norms, cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves are considered as disasters that are covered under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), 75% of which is funded by the Centre.
- As per experts, declaring lightning as a “natural disaster” will minimise lightning-related deaths. This would help States prepare long-term mitigation through coordinated efforts with local agencies and reconstruction activities to build disaster-resilient infrastructure.
- The Odisha government provides 4 lakh per deceased person to the next of kin from SDRF. Other State governments provide lump sum Ex-gratia to the deceased person’s family. These policies are not adequate to minimise deaths due to lightning.
- Around 2,500 people died every year due to lightning.
- The frequency of lightning was the highest in northeastern States and in West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar, but the number of deaths was higher in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
- Lightning characteristics are different for different regions, the prevalence is more at night and the early hours in hilly States and more during the day in the plains. That is why deaths occur more in the plains.
- Farmers are the most affected and the number of deaths are more during the rainy season.
- India was among only five countries in the world that had early warning system for lightning, the forecast is available from five days to up to three hours in advance of the predicted event.
- Besides the loss of human life, lightning adversely impacts the agriculture, aviation, power, and communication sectors. Mainly, rural and forest areas are the most vulnerable due to lighting because of the presence of water bodies and tall trees.
