Odisha Lightning Deaths: Mismatch In Revenue Min & Govt Data Raises Eyebrows

Bhubaneswar: How many deaths were recorded in Odisha due to lightning in the last five years?

The state government doesn’t have one figure! While Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday said 1103 deaths were reported due to lightning strikes in the last five years, a written reply submitted by him in the House put it at 1625 casualties – 372 (2019-20), 338 (2020-21), 294 (2021-22), 334 (2022-23), 287 (2023-24).

Replying to queries raised by legislators, the Minister said that Odisha recorded the highest lightning-related fatalities of 1103 in the country during this period. “Uttar Pradesh is five times bigger than Odisha but it reported only 542 deaths. Mayurbhanj Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Balasore districts witness more lighting deaths during thunderstorms, which are common during pre-monsoon and monsoon rains,” he said, adding that states with higher mineral deposits tend to record more lightning fatalities.

Last month, Odisha had reported 15 deaths due to lightning in two days.

The Minister further said that lack of awareness as people tend to run towards trees to protect themselves from rains, lead to lightning deaths. “There is no foolproof method to predict where lightning will strike. Scientific researches, including by IITs, are on in this regard and hopeful we will be the first country to crack it,” Pujari said, while mentioning steps being taken to create awareness among people in 10 lightning-prone districts.

The state has witnessed over 6 lakh lightning strikes in the last 6 years with the highest of 4.31 lakh in Mayurbhanj (72,000 in a year), followed by 3.02 lakh in Sundargarh (50,000 in a year) and 2.75 lakh in Keonjhar (46,000 in a year), according to the written reply.

Puajri further informed that lightning is a state-specific disaster and Rs 4 lakh is awarded as compensation to the next of the kin of the deceased.

Notably, palm trees are being planted to mitigate the effects of lightning. The Revenue Department has allocated Rs 7 crore to the Forest Department for palm tree plantation.

In July, the Odisha government announced to plant at least 19 lakh palm trees to reduce the number of deaths caused by lightning. The palm trees will be planted by the forest and agriculture departments in different areas.

In July, Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia had informed about 134 lightning deaths being reported from Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts alone in the past three years. “In 2024-25 financial year, a massive number of palm seeds will be sown. We have received funds from the special relief commissioner. This year, palm plantation will be carried out around forest areas and there has been a plan to involve community members,” the minister said in his reply.