Enough Is Enough, Says Disaster Management Minister As Odisha Reports One More Lightning Death

Bhubaneswar: One person died, 4 others of a family were injured after being struck by lightning at Uada village in Odisha’s Balasore district on Sunday.

All family members were reportedly working in the field at the time of the incident.

This came a day after nine persons, including a minor boy, were killed in lightning strikes in different parts of the state. Two deaths each were reported in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, and Bhadrak districts and one death each in Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Ganjam districts, the CMO said, while informing about Rs 4 lakh ex gratia each to the next of kin of the deceased.

Notably, Odisha is one of India’s worst-affected states by lightning strikes during the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods.

Stating that there has been an increase in lighting deaths, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that 20 lakh palm trees, which are good conductor of electricity, will be planted by the forest department across Odisha during the next one year as a preventive measure. “Schools have also become vulnerable in absence of proper electrical earthing because of which we have lost a few children due to lightning. Enough is enough… We will make sure that 20 lakh palm trees are planted across all vulnerable points in Odisha…,” he told ANI.

The office of Special Relief Commissioner has approved Rs 7 crore for the proposed plan. These trees will initially be planted on the boundaries of the forests, official sources said.

Palm trees have a natural ability to mitigate lightning strikes since the trucks are filled with water and sap, which can absorb and dissipate the lightning’s electrical energy. Besides high moisture content, it acts as a natural lightning rods and conductors because of its height.

KILLER LIGHTNING

In February, the state government had informed about 1,472 lightning deaths in the last five years.

According to the office of Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), 791 fatalists were reported in the previous three fiscal years due to the increased frequency of lightning strikes. A total of 282 people died in 2021-22 due to lightning strikes, 297 in 2022-23 and 212 in 2023-24. The state recorded 61,000 lightning strikes in a two-hour interval on September 2, 2023, which claimed 12 lives.

Most lightning-related fatalities were reported from Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Koraput and Nabarangpur districts.