New Delhi: During the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha today, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Manas Ranjan Mangaraj urged the Centre to declare lightning as a natural disaster.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), lightning strikes claim the lives of 2500 people annually in India, causing burns, muscle spasms, multi-system dysfunction, cardiac arrest, and instant death. The majority of victims (96%) are from rural areas, including farmers, cattle grazers, fishermen, jungle hunters, and labourers working outdoors. Studies indicate that lightning strikes will increase by about 12 per cent for every degree rise in the global average air temperature, Mangaraj apprised the Upper House of the Parliament.
Mangaraj said, “Odisha, as per the last annual lightning report, records the highest number of lightning strikes. Odisha is specifically vulnerable to frequent lightning strikes due to a complex combination of climatic factors such as cyclonic activities, pre-monsoon and monsoon periods and the prevalence of high convective energy in the atmosphere. Despite this, the state has successfully reduced lightning-related casualties from 207 in 2019-20 to 156 in 2020-2021. Odisha declared lightning a “state-specific disaster” on April 1, 2015, providing Rs. four lakhs ex-gratia to the families of the deceased.
“Recently, Odisha proposed to the Centre to declare lightning as a natural disaster, actively implementing mitigation measures. Following lightning-related deaths, the state government directed Forest and Agriculture departments to undertake large-scale palm tree plantations as a preventive measure, the BJD MP pointed out.
Citing the examples of countries like Thailand and Bangladesh, which have successfully employed large-scale palm tree plantations to mitigate lightning deaths, the Parliamentarian urged the central government to declare lightning as a natural disaster.
“Declaration of lightning as a natural disaster would enhance ex-gratia support for affected families, offering much-needed relief to thousands of Indians annually. This urgent step must be taken to address the high mortality rate associated with lightning strikes,” MP Manas Mangaraj concluded.
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