With an alert system in place, lightning deaths in Odisha down by over 30%

Lightning is one of the major natural disasters in Odisha claiming over 400 human lives annually, 85% of which occur between May and September. In 2018-19, 320 people died of lightning against 465 in 2017-18.

The number of deaths because of lightning strikes in Odisha has been reduced by more than 30% by sending alerts through its early warning system at least 45 minutes ahead of potential hits, a senior official has said.

In 2016-17, at least 400 people were killed by lightning strikes while in the previous year 401 died. Image used for representational purpose only. (AFP file photo)

Lightning is one of the major natural disasters in Odisha claiming over 400 human lives annually, 85% of which occur between May and September. In 2018-19, 320 people died of lightning against 465 in 2017-18. In 2016-17, at least 400 people were killed by lightning strikes while in the previous year 401 died.

Odisha’s disaster management minister Sudam Marandi recently told the assembly that lightning was the third major cause of deaths in the state since April 2016. The state pays Rs 4 lakh for loss of each human lives due to lightning.

Managing director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority Bishnupada Sethi said the deaths due to lightning strikes have come down to below 400 for the first time in last four years.

“We took a number of steps, including technological intervention, that seems to have helped. Special campaigns were organised to raise awareness among the people about the lightning hazard and the safety measures for saving lives from the lightning incidents,” said Sethi.

The campaign included printing and distribution of posters in all the villages and schools in the state.

Sethi said Odisha’s agreement with Earth Networks of the United States last year helped it predict lightning strikes about 45 minutes in advance.

“The system has been immensely helpful in accurate forecasts of the areas that are likely to be affected. Once we get the warning, we disseminate it through mass messaging and mobile-based application to people of such localities advising them to take suitable precautionary measures,” he said.

The Earth Networks provides early lightning warning services in more than 50 countries and also provides services to Indian states of West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Odisha State Disaster Management Authority’s (OSDMA) Geographical Information System (GIS) expert BN Mishra said under the early warning system, total lightning data from the last three years combined with sophisticated algorithms generate dangerous thunderstorm alerts to provide an average of 45 minutes of advanced lead time warning for severe weather.

The warnings are sent to subscribers of state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in areas likely to be hit and are also disseminated through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

“Six lightning detection sensors on the ground detect the electromagnetic energy pulses of a potential lightning strike. A combination of multiple sensors is used to locate and time the occurrence of a lightning strike,” Mishra said.

“The information with the purple polygon map thus received from the sensors are quickly processed on GIS platform in OSDMA and the geographic coordinates of the probable area of lightning strike is communicated to the State Emergency Operations Centre for sending SMS alerts to the people of that area through Location Based Alert System (LBAS),” he added.

The SMS alerts are sent through LBAS to the people in the area likely to be affected by the lightning strike.

“The entire operations from receipt of the information from Earth Networks till despatch of the SMSs are completed 2-3 minutes,” Mishar said.

The expert said the six such wide-band sensors have an operating range of 200-300 km and can detect cloud-to-ground lightning strikes as well as in-cloud lightning.

In Mayurbhanj where such lightning strikes have led to hundreds of deaths in last the years, village heads say the early warning systems are working.

Narendra Singh, the sarpanch of Kochilakhunta gram panchayat, said people now take such warning seriously.

“I have also been educating people of my panchayat not to step out of their homes or take shelter under a tree once they get the warning messages. This month, I have not heard of any deaths in my panchayat due to lightning,” he said.

OSDMA officials said apart from these, a pilot project called Outdoor Alerting System has been started in 14 blocks of different lightning-prone districts of the state through which a siren would go off automatically once the State Emergency Operation Centre in Bhubaneswar transmits a message.

The project would soon be extended to other parts of the state.