ICTLT Recommends Lightning, Thunderstorm Centre In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The International Conference on Thunderstorm and Lightning in Tropics (ICTLT-2019), which was held here last week, has recommended the establishment of a Lightning and Thunderstorm Center in Odisha. The reason is that the state accounted for about one-fourth of the deaths occurring in the country due to lightning.

The centre should be set up through joint collaboration of the Ministry of Earth Science and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), as per a set of recommendations issued following the three-day conference.

The conference was jointly organised by the Centre for Environment and Climate (CEC) of the SOA Deemed to be University and OSDMA from January 17 to 19 last. Around 200 scientists, researchers, meteorologists and experts attended the meet.

A release issued by CEC said the recommendations were aimed at taking action to prevent casualties and damage to property due to thunderstorm and lightning, a frequent occurrence in the state.

The conference also recommended the setting up of a State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre in Odisha on the lines of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre and Sri Lanka’s Storm Monitoring Centre. 

The experts, who deliberated on the issues for three days, felt that there was a need for developing an early warning system for people residing in thunderstorm and lightning hotspots by using mobile network, media and siren. 

Pointing out that school children should be sensitised about the danger of thunderstorm and lightning, the conference said all school bags and the back page of text books should carry a list of ‘do’s and don’ts’ when caught in such weather events to spread awareness.
Besides, trained teachers and citizens in different blocks could be trained to report thunderstorm and lightning activities in their area through a communication network so that guidelines on precautions could be issued to the public through them, it said.

Awareness campaigns should be taken up at the block level (in schools, colleges and panchayats) by the OSDMA while a series of training workshops should be organised for young PhD and M.Tech scholars on observational and modelling of thunderstorm and lightning to enhance the knowledge network. Besides, efforts should also be made to sensitise the media and NGOs on thunderstorm and lightning through interactive workshops regularly before the onset of the thunderstorm season, it was pointed out at the conference.