Risingbd Online Bangla News Portal

Dhaka     Friday   29 March 2024

Lightning casualties: Massive awareness needed

5 || risingbd.com

Published: 08:07, 22 May 2017   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Lightning casualties: Massive awareness needed

At present lightning strike has become a reason of concern as natural disaster. Earlier flood and storm were the main reason of concern as disaster. Concerns have increased more due to the addition of lightning strike to the natural disasters like flood and storm. This disaster is increasing at an alarming rate. The National Weather Service (NWS), an US agency, has recorded over 4,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes recently. One-fourth of all the deaths which happen due to lightning across the world happens in Bangladesh, according to the Institute of National Lightning Safety of United States of America.

Frowzy hot situation results in negative impact at the atmosphere due to ceaseless drought and heat wave. Experts say constant rise of temperature in the seas and surface of the earth and continued pollution of environment are the prime reasons of lightning strike. According to the US department, lightning strikes are likely to increase by 50 times compared to the present time in the next 20 years due to the climate change. It is said that lightning strike has a close relation with the increase of temperature in the world. If temperature increases by one degree Celsius, the rate of lightning increases by 15 percent.  It is feared that the world temperature is expected to increase by four degree Celsius at the end of twenty first century. As a result, the rate of lightning will also go up.

Huge damages are being caused almost every year in Bangladesh due to natural disasters like cyclone, flood and tidal-surge. The amount of damage has increased more due to the addition of lightning to these disasters. It has rained intermittently at the beginning of the Bengali month of Baishakh in the country. Sometimes storms have been reported. But lightning was the reason of apprehension to many.

According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department, lightning strikes are seen to happen from March to October in the country. Most lightning strikes happen in May. At least 57 people died in lightning strikes in just two days in May last year. According to the news reports, around 350 people died in the lightning strikes last year. Almost all deaths happened in nine districts of haor areas. According to the estimate of the disaster management and relief ministry, lightning strikes kill 22 people as of April 22 this year.

Most of the people who die in lightning strikes work in the field. It was earlier observed that lightning strikes generally happened in some trees-- palm tree and coconut tree etc. But the number of such kind of tall trees has reduced at present. Experts think that due to this reason, thunderbolts are directly falling on people and casualties are increasing.

Adequate tall trees are not being planted alongside cutting down them persistently which results in the increase of world temperature. The intensity of temperature may increase more the way it goes up. Preventing cutting down trees, ensuring earthing system at tall buildings, planting tall trees at all sides of abode, planting a lot of trees can be the ways to avoid lightning strikes.

The government has initiated a plan to plant 10 lakhs of palm trees and lightning-conductive special towers especially in haor regions in a bid to prevent lightning casualties. But the thing which is very necessary in this regard is awareness. One should not be at open places, under tall trees, near electric poles and wires, metallic poles and mobile towers during lightning strikes. One should also stay far from rivers, ponds and water bodies during the lightning. It is needed to create awareness among people by disseminating information regarding this in mass media.

risingbd/DHAKA/May 22, 2017/Ali Nowsher/Amirul

risingbd.com