Death From Sky: Lightning Kills 1,876 People Annually In India, Study Reveals
Death From Sky: Lightning Kills 1,876 People Annually In India, Study Reveals
Lightning in India has emerged as one of the most lethal and challenging natural hazards. Over the past 54 years, lightning has caused a total of 101,309 human fatalities, averaging 1,876 deaths annually.

This was revealed in a study titled: "Lightning-related fatalities in India (1967-2020): A detailed overview of pattern and trends" carried out by Manoranjan Mishra, Tamoghna Acharya, Rajkumar Guria, Nihar Ranjan Rout and others.

Lightning fatality data from 1967 to 2020 (53 years) across the Indian states were collected from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). The NCRB provides the longest available time series of gender-disaggregated lightning fatality data.

The data highlights an increasing trend, with the last two decades showing the highest increase, an alarming development. The rising trend of extreme climate conditions will likely exacerbate the situation in a country like India.

"The increase in recorded lightning deaths in the last 20 years can be attributed to both improved recording methods of lightning deaths and the effects of climate change," Mishra told this reporter.

The analysis reveals that Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of deaths, followed by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.

Explaining more deaths in MP than in UP, the most populated state in India Mishra said "It all depends on cloud-to-ground activity and exposure of the population during that time. The relation is non-linear."

Ongoing research indicates that Central and Eastern India have the highest incidence of lightning, with Northeast India showing an increase since 2001. States like Madhya Pradesh, which lack substantial disaster management institutions at the state or local level, need serious and immediate attention, while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh need to develop and implement a scientific, evidence-based action plan, the study said.

Furthermore, states including Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu must continue and intensify their lightning risk management efforts.

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