One Dies, 7 Critical In Lightning Strike In Puri; Know About Odisha Govt’s Palm Trees Plan To Prevent Casualties

Puri: A woman died and seven others were critically injured after being struck by lightning amid heavy rain near Gop’s Balighai in Odisha’s Puri district early on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Kunti Bhoi (45).

According to sources, the incident took place while they were planting saplings in a field. Some Bol Bam devotees were also present at the spot. They were rescued by villagers and rushed to district headquarters hospital, where Kunti died during treatment.

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.

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

A study by researchers of three universities and the Climate Resilient Observing-Systems Promotion Council (CROPC) has revealed that Odisha is among four states with highest lightning-related fatalities. Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra accounted for 55 per cent of the deaths in the last five decades.

Odisha reported the highest 69 deaths per 1,000 sq km and second highest 256 deaths per one million population after Madhya Pradesh (261), besides highest increasing trend and magnitude of 4.57 death rate per year.

PALM TREE BARRIER

Odisha has restricted the cutting of existing palm trees and plans to plant 19 lakh  more such trees to reduce casualties from lightning strikes, which were designated as a state-specific disaster in 2015. The SRC’s office has approved Rs 7 crore for the proposed plan. These trees will initially be planted on the boundaries of the forests.

In September 2023 too, the government had decided to undertake extensive plantation of palm trees and protect existing ones as these act as natural conductors during lightning strikes and prevent loss of lives.

However, there are also concerns that some trees could catch fire after lightning strikes