Collapsing structures caused majority of hailstorm deaths
Incidents of wall collapse (13 deaths), roof caving in (8 deaths), and tin sheds falling (8 deaths) were the primary causes of the casualties.
A majority of the 56 deaths reported due to hailstorm in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday-Thursday night were due to collapsing structures.
Incidents of wall collapse (13 deaths), roof caving in (8 deaths), and tin sheds falling (8 deaths) were the primary causes of the casualties. Additionally, nine people died because of falling trees and electric poles, while two succumbed to falling railings and grills. Only three deaths were caused by lightning. A total of 24 districts were hit by hailstorm and heavy rain.
Walls and roofs of houses, considered a shield against the vagaries of nature, are killing people during hailstorm, a state government officer said.
District administration officers have been directed to conduct prompt relief work in affected districts, he added.
The district magistrates have been directed to assess the loss of property, crop and cattle for distribution of compensation, he said.
Owing to climatic change, the frequency of extreme events like hailstorms and incessant rainfall have increased, said Venkatesh Dutta, associate professor at the department of environment management and planning, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University.
“The focus should be on slums and unplanned settlements in which the quality of structures is poor. During extreme climatic events, the collapse of substandard structures looms large. To face the vagaries of climatic changes, we will have to build structures to minimize deaths,” he said. In South India and the coastal regions, only a few deaths are reported due to collapse of building structures.
“The district disaster management cells are active in the districts of these regions (and) assist the people in constructing hazard-proof houses. Whereas in U.P. and in other states located in North India, there is general compromise on the material used for the construction work as well as design of houses,” he said.
“The quality of construction material is poor. The local masons, majority of them unqualified, construct houses,” said Professor SP Singh, a faculty at Institute of Earth Science, Bundelkhand University.
“The focus of the state disaster management department is more on relief and rescue work during floods. The department should prepare plan to deal with hailstorms. Old and weak trees on roadsides should be removed. Electric poles and wires should be checked at regular intervals to prevent casualty. The state government should prepare a long-term plan to minimise deaths and loss of property during hailstorm,” Singh said.
An officer said the state government had tied up with the Meteorological Department to provide an early warning information about hailstorm so that alerts can be sounded in the area. Doppler radars for disaster monitoring are being installed in coordination with India Meteorological Department (IMD), the officer said.
Doppler radars will provide accurate information about upcoming natural disasters in the state, enabling the government to issue timely alerts and facilitate effective disaster management measures, he said.
